Harry Potter and the Game of Life
by Abadashery
Summary: Harry's plan to let Voldemort kill him has backfired as there was no Horcrux in his head. Instead Fate is one grumpy deity and decides that if Harry wants to play games well then she'll give him a game to play. A fresh attempt on the Life is a Game genre! Powerful!Harry. Fling!Harry Work in Progress! Rewrite of Chapters 21 and 22 in progress. Stay tuned!
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hooooo boy. So. I'm sitting there minding my own business when WHAM. I get the urge to write. And not just your standard fanfiction, oh no. I get the urge to write a Life is a Game fanfiction. I've read through many of these, and very very few are complete. They build up and get sooo good that I end up finishing them in a night. Maybe you're like me. Maybe you came here on a whim. Maybe you'll finish this whole story in a night as well. Best of luck regardless. My grammar is gonna be terrible and I use a lot of commas. If you wanna Beta for me then please PM me. I'll list out a few things but most of the options will be explained in paragraph format for this chapter to avoid too much monotony. This will eventually lead to Godlike!Harry

This game will run a lot like Skyrim in the sense of skill ranks, and a lot like D&D in the freedom of those skills and even a bit of Lore. I am also an avid LARPer and may incorporate some of that in here as well. If the system doesn't make sense, PLEASE TELL ME. Just don't flame.

And away we go.

Chapter 1: Guides to Character Creation

Our raven-haired hero had done it. He had defeated Voldemort; or at least he hoped he did. The blinding white surrounding him and the lack of any of the things that Dumbledore said would happen happening was a bit disheartening and was starting to make Harry believe that the old man was full of shite.

Then something changed. A small speck of black formed in front of Harry. His limbs that he previously could not feel began to respond to his wishes again and as if through a sludge he moved toward that speck with all his willpower. I mean, wouldn't you if you had spent what felt like a few days staring at blazing white nothingness? Repeatedly he kicked his arms and legs, urging himself toward that speck which ever so slowly grew until…

"Fuuuuuck…" Harry swore as the speck suddenly zoomed forward and the darkness consumed his surroundings, pulling at his spirit in a way that felt oddly like 3rd year with the Dementors pressing on him from all around. Just without all the cold and terrible memories. The sensation of falling he could do without though.

With a thud that sounded like it should have hurt the still-young Potter boy found himself on his back in a dimly lit room. The glow seemed to be coming from the most dizzying array of runes he had ever seen. Even Hermione's over-achieving Ancient Runes homework barely matched a single thousandth of what he was surrounded by. The floor and walls were covered as well with the multi-colored symbols, he noticed as he started to get up.

"Welcome" Harry leapt up and whirled around at the voice with his hand twitching to reach for his wand which was not there. It was here he noticed that he was not in the same clothes he had died in, but he thanked everything he could think of that he at least had some black sweatpants on as in front of him was a vaguely humanoid shape. Seemingly made of the same material as the room and with the same runes engraved all over, this was the first… thing that Harry had seen in what felt like too long. A quick look around revealed that the design seemed to center around a circle next to where the creature-thing was standing. This was the only bare patch of ground that he could see.

"Who… What… Where am I?" Harry asked, mind whirling faster than his body had a moment ago as he tried to formulate the most important question first.

"You are Harry Potter, a Wizard and Chosen, and as far as where? Why you are here" the being responded in what was now recognizable as a feminine voice. The area where there would be eyes on a regular human seemed to crinkle in amusement, but it was hard to tell in the light.

"And who are you? What is this place?" Harry said with a bit of irritation. The thing had answered his questions albeit in a very smartass way.

"I am Tyran, and this place is the Center" was the response. The Runic Construct (for Harry could think of no better classification for what he was seeing) took a few steps forward and seemed to suddenly appear next to him. Fingers that were much smoother and more delicate than might have been assumed were roaming across his chest and back as Tyran seemed to examine something unseen.

"You do seem to have the ability, but I have never seen it in one with such a young soul. I am interested to see what will occur" Tyran spoke as if to itself.

Harry attempted to grab a hand and stop the intrusion of his personal space but even with his exceptional reflexes he could not catch them, no matter how often he tried.

Tyran seemed to develop an annoyed expression, "Oh do stop thrashing about, or this will take forever" then chuckled at the joke that only it understood. The sound was oddly like a mix of all the chuckles he had ever heard overlapping.

"Not until you tell me what the fuck is going on. What is the Center? What is a Chosen? What are you? AND WILL YOU STOP GROPING ME?!" Harry Potter was officially getting annoyed. Almost a week it felt like had passed since he took an Avada Kedavra to the chest and was left floating in nothingness. Now some weird Construct was feeling him up like a doctor performing an exam. The last straw being when the creature grabbed his bits and bum at the same time in a grip that did not feel safe to jerk away from, delicate hands or not.

"Almost done" was the only reply. The hands moved lower but luckily only spent half the time on his legs and feet.

"There. Assessment complete. And a quite admirable specimen you are even by Chosen standards. If a bit scrawnier than I would have thought" Harry sputtered at the comment as even with no true facial features Tyran seemed to be sporting a smirk.

"Now to answer your endless questions" rough approximations of chairs seemed to rise from the floor and Harry sat down in frustration with Tyran mimicking the motion "This place, the Center, is the true Center of Magic. It is a Between Plane. It is neither here nor there, nor in any specific time. It simply is. With it we may access the different Planes of Existence. The title of Chosen is given to one touched by Fate and allows them access to the Center under the right circumstances. Each Center has a Guide, in this case me, that will manipulate the energies to allow the Chosen to return to the Plane that they are from"

"So you can get me home? Excellent. Let's go" Harry said as he stood up and began walking to the area in the floor that had no symbols. It made the most sense to him.

"Don't you want to find out what you're in for?" Tyran said with a hint of amusement as it followed him, the chairs reforming into the floor.

"Nope, I just want to get back and defeat Voldemort. It might already be too late" Harry said from inside the Circle, hopping from foot to foot with a sense of impatience.

"Well. I am your guide. You can always come back with questions before you delve into the Options. Now to go over this real quick. You will be going back…" Tyran began to explain to a Harry that was now tapping his foot.

"This isn't a game you know" our Hero ironically stated "People's lives are at stake"

The disconcerting laughter of Tyran echoed all around Harry as the room began to glow bright.

"Yes, it is, my Chosen" was the last he heard as the light began to spin wildly around Harry.

*****20 minutes later*****

Disbelievingly, Harry stared at the golden letters floating in front of him with his hands over his ears as a loud booming and decidedly masculine voice read them aloud.

"Welcome to the Game of Wizard's, Chosen. Fate has deemed that since you were unable to complete the Task that was assigned to you, therefore playing a game with her good grace, you would be given a second chance at life. Only this time truly as a Game!"

**Further Explanation? -**

"In this game you will be given advantages that the average creature of your type would not have access to. This will include a game menu with such helpful things as World Options, Character Menu, Heads Up Display, Pause Game, Save Game option, and even such minor tweaks as Character Customization! Isn't that exciting?!

Now, please press continue to reach Options"

**Continue -**

"What the hell? What. The. Hell. What. The. Flying. Fuck. WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!" Harry ranted to the open area for a few minutes, with different variations of this. "TYRAN!" He finally screamed.

"Yes, Chosen?" came that same voice as before, along with the creepy chuckle.

"What is this?" A pointed finger matched the question, but it suddenly highlighted the **Further Explanation? - **that was before him and before the could get an answer the letters spun rapidly and rearranged.

"Fate has smiled upon you! You were given the Task of destroying Voldemort and his horcruxes. Of this task you were able to complete eighty seven percent before ultimately failing. Why, you ask? It is simple. Despite knowing that you had to destroy all the Horcruxes, and despite knowing that you could destroy these with Basilisk venom, you decided to trust in a meddling old fool. You had already destroyed the Horcrux in your head in your 12th year of life when an incredibly large Legend level Basilisk bit you through the arm and sent the sweet Horcrux destroying liquid coursing through your tiny body. I mean honestly. And at the urging of someone who was merely present during the Prophecy and not the all-knowing Fate that wrote the damn thing, you willingly stepped in front of a Killing Curse from the one you were supposed to destroy. Thus we are here, or rather you are here, with a second chance to not fuck up. Good luck!" The voice that read this passage got decidedly snarkier and more childlike as the reading went on until at the end it returned to the same layout as before but with no disembodied voice reading it out.

"Welcome back, Chosen. I do hope the explanation was enlightening" came Tyran's voice from the darkness.

"I'm… I'm in a game? Was I always in a game?" Harry asked. His voice came out as little more than a breath as he questioned his existence.

"No, no. It is merely Fate's way of messing with you this time. There are Chosen who have had it way worse than you. This is a blessing truly. The Game option is actually quite fun from what I'm told" the Construct reassured the young man. "Do you believe me now though? That this is a game? And one that I believe will lead you to a much happier existence"

Harry simply sat as much as the out-of-body experience he was trapped in would allow and stared up at the words in front of him. His mind was both numb and hyperactive as it reassessed all of his memories. Choices he wished he had made; things he wish he had done.

"Does the story stay the same? Major events and such?" He eventually asked, as the small seed of determination planted itself within him.

"For the most part, but I do believe that at least a semi-standard rule of causality applies. As such, if you were to free Sirius early I believe all of your subsequent school years would be different. Similarly if you manipulate events in such a way that key ones do not happen it will lead to a vastly different outcome." Harry nodded his head, listening and committing to memory even if he did not quite understand.

He racked his brain a bit more, determination still growing within him, but came up short. "Is there anything else I should know?"

"Merely that you should enjoy the second chance that has been given. Not many people get them you know" Tyran stated with finality, and Harry felt his hand come up and point at **Continue-**

The world spun again, and Harry found himself looking at a small list in front of him aptly titled World Options.

**Controls-**

**Game Options-**

**Character Selection and Customization-**

**Continue-**

Appropriately deciding to start at the top Harry clicked controls and was prepared this time for the swirl of large golden lettering. Reading through the different options he decided on **Reality** as the chosen set as moving his character around via a screen and keyboard did not seem… well to be honest it seemed shitty as did the other 2 options of Auto and Controller. He remembered what it was like watching Dudley play the Playstation 1 this past summer and did not envy that as his new life.

Upon his selection, Harry was brought back to the options screen but with **Controls-** now giving off additional light and small golden particles. He correctly assumed this meant that his selection went through and moved on to Game Options. This screen seemed to be an On/Off selection screen with simple explanations included.

-Notifications On/Off (This will notify you of recent changes to your character).

-Heads Up Display On/Off/Customize (An overlay to your standard field of vision that will display Health, Magicka, Stamina, a Minimap and Compass, and Currently Equipped Items)

-Questing System On/Off (An additional option to your everyday tasks! This option will provide additional incentives and rewards for things you do throughout your life as a Wizard!)

-Inventory System On/Off (Wizards know Expansion Charms, but Fate knows sheer ridiculousness. No longer will you be burdened by your belongings. Instead they can be easily retrieved from a simple screen that can be accessed by thinking "Inventory" with intent)

-Skill System On/Off (A Dynamic skill system which allows you to track and more easily increase the skills you use in the world. Not all actions are within the skill system, but if you practice it hard enough it can in fact be a skill. Levelling up will provide points to this system as well beyond its usual benefits)

-Save Game On/Off (Allows for the saving of one's game. This will allow you to backtrack if you get lost or even killed)

-Autosave On/Off (Will automatically save the game before Key Events such as The Descent into the Chamber of Secrets will save in Myrtle's Bathroom)

-World Awareness On/Off (Want the world to know you're playing a game with their lives? Simply turn this option to On and the whole world will know of your recent failure to do your Task and will react accordingly!)

Harry pinched the bridge of his nose as he read the last Game Option. Quickly setting everything to On but making sure that World Awareness was firmly set to off he moved on to **Character Selection and Customization- **and was met with the surprising view of his previous years of school's versions of himself and a few even older than that, all naked. Seeing a side-by-side comparison of how he looked in previous years was a little weird, but he was soon distracted by the overwhelmingly long list of character options. It seemed every Wizard on earth was an option, which was kind of funny in a way and he spent a few minutes getting comfortable with the scroll feature briefly reading a few names that meant nothing to him. Seeing that there was a search option he tried a few methods to put down his name before discovering that there was a small keyboard in front of him similar to a typewriter and then had a thought. He put Albus P.W.B. Dumbledore down and very quickly deleted that as the models changed to a very naked timeline of his headmaster.

"Wait…" Harry said in a whisper and soon was grinning ear to ear as he saw that females were an option too, picking a few random names on the list. Deciding to honor his friend's privacies he did not select anyone he knew and felt that somehow the anonymity of it all made it okay. Deciding if he was going to play someone's life it might as well be his own, he quickly selected Harry J. Potter and moved on.

The next section that the letters swirled to was options such as Eye Height, Jawline, Hair Color, and quite a few other options. Quickly deducing how it all worked Harry also discovered that he could see how each option affected his future self. It took him a solid 2 hours to decide how he wanted to change himself since he was given the option to. Certain options like musculature had a description stating that this Option Menu only determined things that could not be naturally changed by hard work, and that musculature and the like simply determined how his body responded to things like workouts and bulking up. A few of the options tinged his cheeks pink but he manipulated them anyways. In the end he ended up with a better build, a few tweaks to his facial structure that helped differentiate him from his father a bit. He kept his eye color the same but opted for a deep red hair color to honor his mother. Even he admitted that he was damn good looking by the end of it.

With a swirl of letters Harry's jaw dropped as he saw just what kind of boon Fate had given him, in the form of a stats system. There was a brief description at the top that he read aloud.

"Stats are an abstract way of measuring your power and have a basic effect on the appropriate skills for every 5 Points and your chance to resist negative effects. They are rated on a scale with 10 as the average for an of-age Wizard, except for Magic where the average is 25, and there being a hard cap of 100. Factors such as age, heritage, and conditioning can adjust these. Currently there are few wizards in the 30s ranges and even less in the 50s. Below is a listing of your previous Stats before your untimely demise. In the interest of fairness we have allotted you 30 extra points to spend to help start you off, but our levelling system allows for the eventual increase of all of these except luck through levelling up at a rate and consistency that would make even Merlin jealous. The stats below are the stats you had as a young impressionable 11 year old hoodlum with the numbers of your just-before-dying-uselessly self there as a frame of reference and growth"

Below that there was a listing:

Strength- 3 (9)

Dexterity- 14 (34)

Constitution- 4 (52)

Perception- 1 (+10 with Glasses) (6)

Intelligence- 3 (14)

Willpower- 9 (70)

Magic- 2 (+15) (45)

Charisma- 3 (10)

Luck- 31

A bit confused by some of the numbers he was seeing, Harry thought for a moment before smiling. This time, he would get everything he ever wanted out of life. He brought Charisma up to 18 along with Intelligence and clicked Next before he could second guess himself. Almost immediately Harry felt like he understood more of what he had read previously, and he grinned, not realizing the grin had a distinctly more pronounced charm to it. Quickly he read the next description.

"Perks are advantages one gets through simple genetics and circumstance. Disadvantages are the same. You are given 20 Points to disperse how you please amongst the Perks which cost between 2 and 10 points with the ability to get more points through the Disadvantages" Harry read through it another time just to be sure he understood. Again they opted to apply what he had previously, and he realized this was going to be a very difficult section as the perks listed what they cost, and the Disadvantages what they awarded.

**Perks:**

Fated Luck (5 points): Fate has deemed your actions as "Must Happen" and therefore circumstances often go in your favor, until they don't. +10 to Luck always, -40 to Luck in certain situations.

Natural Athlete (6 Points): You have always been good at sports, and this Perk helps. +3 to Strength, Perception, Endurance, and Agility during Sports.

Magical Powerhouse (10 points): Magic flows through you easily. +10 to Magic, +5 to Willpower, +10 to Magicka Regeneration, +5 to Learning when it involves Spells. Magicka now grows at a 1.5 rate vs the standard .8 of most Wizards.

Leader (4 Points): You are a natural born leader, and your peers recognize that. +10 to Charisma when influencing others to follow you.

Flyer (4 Points): Flight comes naturally to you. +20 Broom Handling, +10 Creature Handling if creature has wings.

Parselmouth (0 Points): You had a piece of Voldemort in your skull for quite a while. You were bound to pick up something right? +35 to Parseltongue.

**Disadvantages:**

Poor Eyesight (+3 Points): You suffer from defects in your eyes, resulting in needing correctional lenses. -8 to Perception without glasses or similar device. +10 with them on.

Chosen One (+6 Points): Fate has made you her bitch. -20 to Luck in certain situations. +5 to Magic. Certain events are unavoidable. +25% Reputation Gains, +25% Reputation Losses.

Harry debated for a bit, and with another mental nudge to get everything he wants out of life this go around tweaked a few things. He dropped Leader, as his points spending already made his bonus higher than it would have been for the formation of the DA. He also dropped Natural Athlete as the points that it offered just weren't worth it especially if her could get those upgraded through simple training unlike before. Unfortunately neither of his disadvantages were removable as apparently the game thought those 2 were iconic to him. Or at least that's what the notification stated. Instead he picked up 4 new Perks and the connotations of these made him grin.

Family Heritage (4 Points): People say like Father like Son, but in your case its both. You come from 2 gifted parents and some of their skills have carried over. +5 to Broom Handling, +5 Transfiguration, +5 Charms, +5 Potions.

Puberty = Truck (2 Points): This Perk is for those who need a bit of a growth spurt. Puberty is going to kick your ass and put hair in so many places. I won't go into details. Affects 3rd year Summer.

Linguist (2 Points): You're good with languages. +2 to Learning when it involves Languages.

Represent (2 Points): Who needs a Public Relations Agent? Not you. +5% Reputation Gains, -5% Reputation Losses.

And with that Harry motioned to the Next button and was brought back to his original lettering layout. All the options were now glimmering except for **Continue- **and Harry cracked his neck in anticipation and for relief. He had spent what felt like 4 hours staring up and tall lettering. With a shiver of excitement he moved on. Above him the lettering shimmered and reformed and Harry grinned again.

"Please choose the School Year you wish to begin your journey at. Bear in mind that if you do not begin at a certain year, all previous year's events remain unaffected. The school year you choose will change your physical age" said the booming disembodied voice that Harry heard earlier. And without a trace of the childishness of before. With a bit of thought, Harry decided that 3rd year would allow for the most changes while still having the major events that cemented the beginning friendships between Harry, Ron, and Hermione. It was also his least crazy year when he thought back on it and would let him get settled in and trained up before he took the Triwizard Tournament by storm. Plus he chose the Puberty Perk for a reason, as he saw his models get an upgrade in his eyes.

And with that thought everything went black.

**A/N:** Not bad for a first chapter! Came out a little quick, only took me a couple hours to write. I'm sure there are errors, but I've went ahead and posted it just to see what the reactions would be to a new Life is a Game fanfic. I'll do my best to get regular updates out and I'm starting on the next few chapters immediately.

Patch 1.0.1: Changed Magic to Magicka to avoid confusion between the resource and the stat.

Patch 1.0.2: Revamped the whole freakin system. Made it more Morrowind with the stat system as I have a plan for that in Chapter 2 when Skills are fully introduced.

Thanks everyone!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Well then. I got a pretty solid response in the 1 night that the story sat. Motivation is strong! I am not sure how frequent the updates will be. I think I ended up waiting a few days for this one just to make sure that it was a bit better. And I went through and edited the first chapter to clean it up a little after I read through it. I will not be front-loading the information. Skills will reveal themselves as they become applicable, explanations will hopefully be kept clean and concise, and in honor of some of the better written Life is a Game fics out there I will keep a running tally of Harry's Character Sheet and post it every few chapters to refresh everyone unless a more frequent posting is requested. May just put it on my account as it feels like pointless word count bumping to post it in every chapter.

_Notifications show up like this. _And are accompanied with a soft Ping that only Harry can hear and Tyran's voice reading it out softly.

Chapter 2: Back-Alley Bribes

The first thing Harry noticed when he woke up was the dull, bruise-like pain in his arm, and the bump on his head. A second thud echoed through his body from his right bicep and his head got smacked against a hard surface for what must be a second time.

_Cloth Armor skill increased by 1! It is now 33! 1 Skill Boon available!_

"Wake up! Mom said to get you into the kitchen working on dinner!" came the unforgettable voice of his whale cousin Dudley Dick, Harry heard it from under the coat he had covered his head with.

"Piss off, you fat fu…" Harry began to say, still a bit drowsy from what must have been interdimensional travel of some sort, before his widening eyes met his cousin's equally widening eyes. A quick glance around showed that he was in the back of Vernon's new car and the pain must have come from his cousin punching him as a form of 'shaking him awake'.

"MOOOOOM!" Dudley's fat behind waddled to the front door of the house and Harry realized that Day 1 of his summer had already gotten off to a fantastic start. With his mind slowly waking up, and the cat now firmly thrown from the bag and into the fire Harry grinned. The changes had already taken place for the most part even if it was a slight miscalculation that the changes wouldn't be retroactive to how he had looked before. It'd be easy enough to explain in a few months to people who hadn't seen him in a while but to people who saw the results like night and day? It was rather alarming. A spark of inspiration hit Harry and he was now doggedly determined to get the heck out of here as quickly as possible.

"I will not stand for this sort of freakishness in my house! Change it back! Change it all back!" Vernon fumed as he stared at a boy that was different enough to the one he picked up from that blasted train station just this morning that without the vibrant and distinct green eyes Vernon would be damned to guess that it was Harry on the first try. It had gotten off to a great start when the freak had dozed off early and not even Dudley's friendly punches could wake him on the car ride home. They had left him in the car simply out of a desire to put off having his presence around for as long as possible. Then the boy walked in the house with a swagger, hair freshly red, cheekbones slightly higher, chin a bit stronger, looking like some sort of superstar's kid. It could almost be mistaken for someone else if they weren't all sure that he looked as normal as one of his kind could look when they picked him up this morning. "Change it back this instance boy or I swear I will call the Yard"

"The police? Uncle how would you explain having a strange new boy in your home from the train station with bruises on his arm and a clear desire to not be here, a room with enough locks on it to keep out a bear, and a cat flap that still has the remains of some cans you left me before I went to Hogwarts?"

Vernon sputtered for a moment as he considered it before turning to glare at his wife, "well he's your bloody nephew you deal with it. I need a drink" and with that he walked over to his decanters and poured himself a hearty 3 fingers of bourbon before plopping himself in front of the telly and turning it to the local news.

"You heard your Uncle boy; you need to change this back right now. We did not agree to have some sort of… whatever you are waltzing about our home!" Petunias voice got steadily more forceful as the red of Harry's new hair along with the green eyes brought back memories she had tried to put away for a long time.

"I can't and I won't. I already explained it, I received a letter about my inheritance before school let out and it warned me of some recent changes to my physique that would be happening. They didn't tell me that it would be so sudden just that I should go to the bank when it happens. And the hair was the result of a last minute potion I was brewing with my friends that we thought hadn't worked initially" The lie came easily to him, a lot easier than it would have previously and he wondered if the new Charisma score had helped with that. He wanted to get out of here and this was enough of a shock to his magic wary relatives that he was trying to twist the situation to his advantage early.

_Quest started! Flee the Dursleys! Reward: 1 Skill point, 1 Home Token, 1 Stat point, and 200 Experience points._

The notification had nearly made him flinch as he met his Aunt's unblinking glare, he was surprisingly able to hear it over the TV with no issue as well as read it in the corner of his eye with no problem. That setting was very useful. His rough plan was to get out, get to the Leaky Cauldron and have a thorough thinking session over how he was going to handle living life as a game.

"Fine. Just… Fine. Go up to your room and this will be discussed later" came Petunia's almost disturbingly levelheaded response as she opted against the ongoing staring contest.

"Good, that will give me a chance to brew up a fix for this hair style" Harry said with a disarming grin, knowing that the mention of potion-making would irk his Uncle.

"Now listen here boy. There will be no Bubble Bubble Toil and Bullshit from you" Vernon said with not even a twitch of his moustache as he watched the local weather woman tell them it was going to be hot as hell this week. "And what is this about an inheritance? We didn't receive any notice of that"

Hook, line, time for the sinker.

"I just found out this past week but apparently my father left me a sizeable inheritance, I'm to collect it from the bank as soon as I can" Harry said with an air of innocence.

"Well that's bloody perfect then. You can finally start paying us back for all the freeloading you've done. When does this bank of yours close?" There was finally a gleam of interest in his Uncle's eyes as they turned to glance at the boy.

"I think they said that it was open all day" was all Harry got to say before Petunia cut in.

"Yes and staffed by those disgusting little creatures, if I remember right. Goblins I think Lily called them. Freakish little things" the words were accompanied by a disgusted shake of her head atop the long neck "Is their money even worth anything to us normal people? I remember Lily trading pounds for little coins the couple of times I wasn't allowed to stay home on those horrid trips to that Alley"

Harry hadn't considered it before but he supposed it made sense that his Aunt would have seen a fair bit more of the magical world than she ever let on. This was perfect.

"Last I checked the conversion rate was 5 Pounds to a Galleon" Harry gave the best number he knew to be true, even if it was a bit of a future number "I think they mentioned that I had a couple thousand in my inheritance"

Harry didn't clarify what the couple thousand pertained to, whether it was Galleons or Pounds, but judging from the urgent wiggle his Uncle gave as he got out of the couch it must have been enough regardless. Our young Hero of course knew exactly how much was in his Trust Vault, he had used a bit of the funds when the Golden Trio was on the run and at Hermione's urging had asked for a full accounting.

"Alright boy I'll take you to your bloody bank. But I expect a payment of 500 Pounds a month for this summer's expenses" Vernon said as he grabbed his keys.

"Yes Uncle"

Diagon was unsurprisingly quiet, just a few shoppers looking to pick up welcome home gifts and groceries for their returning family. Harry saw a pale blonde that he was sure was Malfoy Senior disappear into the entrance of Knockturn, presumably to pawn off a few more of his non-desirables before the raids that he remembered Mr. Weasley continuing this summer. Borgin and Burke's must be loaded with all sorts of unique and Dark items as many families were targeted and Harry resolved to at least browse their selection this summer to see what he could pick up. It's a shame though, he would have liked his Uncle to meet the man if only to see the ultimate clash of Wizard and Muggle.

Speaking of his Uncle he didn't know someone could pull of Tough Guy and Scared Witless at the same time but then again, he didn't expect the man to come with him either. Money was a powerful motivator. It required a minor tweak to his plans, but he counted on the Goblins to at least maintain a modicum of secrecy.

They ascended the stairs of the grand Bank and his Uncle was staring up at the massive building in disbelief. Inside they quickly found an unattended teller and Harry began the ultimate gamble.

"Hello, I'd like to talk to someone about my vault please" Harry began, slipping a bit of confidence in voice.

"Key." Was the terse response.

"Right here." Harry said, as he slipped the golden key across the table. Vernon finally paid attention as he eyed the key hungrily. The whole Bank oozed opulence even if the whole setting also oozed Freak. The guards at the front had almost made him jump when he made his way into the bank and their poleaxes banged against the marble.

"Right. And what transaction can I perform today" the teller said with a glance between the large fat man standing over the small boy. Humans all looked weird, but the fat man was the weirdest the teller had seen in a while.

"I'd like to convert the whole lot to Pounds" Harry stated with a bit more confidence. His Uncle whirled to look at him as the beginnings of a grin formed beneath his walrus moustache.

"Understood. The total of that will come out to £122,861 Pound Sterling" and there was a brief pause before Vernon began choking on air. The Boy was rich indeed!

Harry tapped his chin and looked at his Uncle "Uncle Vernon, let's go over to those tables there while we wait" and the man blindly followed as his mind wrapped around what basically amounted to 6 years salary for him simply sitting in a Bank with the freaks.

They found 2 seats and sat, and green eyes met blue.

"You don't like me Uncle. That much is clear. You haven't for a long time and the feeling is mutual. So when I offer this simply remember that it's the best you can get from me as I'd be more than willing to let the money sit as Galleons and that will do you little good as you need a Wizard to access the Alley. And my key to access the vault. And my signature to finalize the transaction. So I am willing to cut ties if you are. Right here. Right now. I pay you £25,000 flat and you sign some papers, leave my trunk which is still in the boot, and drive away with no regrets" Harry said this all evenly and with little emotion. His plan hinged on the greed and desire to be rid of Freaks that the man before him held.

Vernon met his eyes and almost said no before he remembered the price tag of his new car and thought of a few things he wanted to improve around the house, and a vacation.

"Deal"

Screeeeeee! The tires of Vernon's new car spun wildly as he whooped out the window into the slowly cooling afternoon air. Harry was a shrinking form in the sideview and the new suitcase of money beside him was a much better driving companion. With a racecar-esque turn around a corner Harry finally grinned as the man he hated was finally gone. And he was free. Glancing over his shoulder at the Leaky Cauldron Harry stepped inside and was met with the non-descript but still magical interior. He nodded to Tom and secured a room for the night before turning with a grin and a swish of his wand as he levitated his trunk up the stairs. Emancipation was amazing.

***Flashback***

Harry sauntered up to the counter after the brief discussion with Vernon. The Goblin simply slid over a briefcase of money.

"Before we finalize this I was wondering if Gringotts has access to the forms for Emancipation, Master Teller" To which the Goblin nodded in the affirmative and pointed to a different line. Signing for the money and hefting the briefcase Harry made his way over to the other line and retrieved a copy of the seven-page form and a quill.

Taking these over to his Uncle Harry set the briefcase against the back of the seat, sat in front of it, and set the form between them. With a quick read over the contents he filled out the pertinent magical information such as date of birth and astrological sign and had his Uncle sign and initial the few areas that needed his attendance. The quill was bulky and awkward, but the large man made it work. After verifying the contents at the same line the form came from and two instances of taking it back to the tables and tweaking the information. This part made Harry nervous as he wasn't sure even that sizeable sum of money would keep his Uncle from reneging on the deal at the last minute to spite him.

With the form finally filled and submitted Harry followed Vernon to the car where the agreed upon money was exchanged for school trunk and owl cage. With an awkward stare the two parted ways for good.

***End Flashback***

The Emancipation form was something that Harry had found out about in his previous life. A 4th year Hufflepuff that had gotten knocked up during a midnight tryst had unfortunately felt the pressure from her family to get married and the news of it all had made its rounds in the Hogwarts grapevine. A quick inquiry about it in the summer before 6th year had piqued his interest but it was unnecessary at that point as he had already passed his OWLs.

Now though? Now it gave him options, and a million questions as his ears rang repeatedly with notifications.

_Congrats! You have escaped the Dursleys and completed your quest. Reward: 1 Skill point, 1 Home Token, 1 Stat point, and 200 Experience points._

_Ding! Level Up! You are now Level 2. 4 Skill points awarded. 17 Skill Points unspent. One Home Token unused. 3 Skill Boons unused. 2 Stat Points unused. 1 Feat Point unused._

_Congrats! You are level 2! Inventory Unlocked. Guide Unlocked. Character Sheet Unlocked._

_Congrats! You're a free man! The negative effect Trace has been removed._

_Congrats! You're a man with influence! And Money! Inheritance has been unlocked, please collect from your nearest Gringotts Teller._

_Opportunity! Timed Event unlocked. Fully explore the Alley by the end of the Summer to receive a hidden reward!_

_Opportunity! Timed Event unlocked. Master 10 spells by the end of the Summer to receive a unique reward!_

And thus the reason he was sitting in his rented room, rolls of parchment left over from his school year spread out around him as he discovered one of the most frustrating aspects of his new existence.

_Error! You cannot write about the Game of Wizards._

_Error! You cannot write about the Game of Wizards._

_Error! You cannot write about the Game of Wizards._

_Error! You cannot write about the Game of Wizards._

_Error! You cannot write about the Game of Wizards._

Wadding up the parchment he chucked it against the wall and gripped the sides of his head in frustration. There had to be a better way to organize all of the recent things that had happened when it him it.

'Pause' he thought to himself. Nothing happened. He tried a few more times and still nothing happened. If not for the recent very annoying notifications and the physical incapability to even spell the word Magicka. He threw his hands up in frustration.

"aaaaagh why didn't I let Tyran explain this shit?" He grumbled to himself. Then he twitched. And twitched again. Looking down he saw a miniature version of Tyran walking on his leg.

"Hello again, Chosen" came the voice which did not seem to be affected by the being's size. Amazingly it jumped off his leg and grew to the normal size that he first encountered it at.

"Pause" Tyran said with conviction and suddenly the world grayed out except for the two of them.

"How did you do that?" came the whisper of our raven-haired bespectacled well-meaning nincompoop of a hero.

"I told you before, you have to think it with intent. In my case my voice is your thoughts. Only you can hear me" Across from him was another chair that Tyran took for itself "Are you enjoying yourself so far? Fate was laughing so hard when you got yourself emancipated 2 years early. She thought that it might happen, but her money was on 4th year"

"Wait I thought Fate was all knowing?" Harry asked as he examined the motes of dust in the air. His arms and legs went through anything that he meant to touch which he played around with at the table for a moment, but the chair seemed to still work normally.

Tyran smiled with unmistakable fondness, "She usually is. In the interest of giving you a fair swing of things though she has chosen to remain a little further away from meddling with your life this time around. Certain events will still happen as I'm sure you saw with your Chosen One Disadvantage. Now, I can only be with you in the tutorial level. This Diagon Alley as it were. So there isn't much time and we still have much to go over hence why I chose to Pause the world while we discuss a few basics"

"What do you mean? Tutorial?" Harry scratched his head as he propped his feet up on the table

Tyran smacked his feet off the table before responding "Yes, the Tutorial. Here you will learn what it means to be living life as a game, we will go over some of the advantages and disadvantages of this life and I will answer any and all questions as best as I can"

With a motion to continue Tyran said aloud and with conviction "Character Sheet" and a large parchment unfurled in the air in front of Harry, causing him to make an odd eep noise and tumble backwards.

Chuckling Tyran pointed at the sheet. "This is you. Literally everything that the game governs, or affects is on this sheet. It won't tell you how many pimples you have but it will let you know if there's an Active Effect that is causing an extreme growth for example"

With a hum of acknowledgement Harry's eyes roamed the sheet, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Well, as ordinary as a 7 foot by 4 foot sheet of parchment floating in a grayed out world and detailing a disturbing amount of information can be. Scratching his head in frustration, he looked back at Tyran "Help?"

"Certainly. At the top you will see basic numbers. Your name of course, your class and level. Your Health which is the total amount of life force remaining in your body, your Magicka which is the total amount of magical energies within you, and your Stamina which represents a tangible number to the amount of physical effort you can exert at one time. Below that are your stats and any current modifiers. If you see next to Perception you have a +10 symbol to represent the bonus from poor eyesight as your glasses are on. Take them off and it will change to a -8. Similarly you will see your Magic boosted from your various perks. These numbers can and will change as you grow and train but take the most time to change. For example, your strength is currently 5 as you have grown some since the First-Year sheet you saw in the Options. If you were to focus on the skill Weightlifting which is a purely strength-based skill, then as you increase in levels of that skill you will see benefits to your Strength, and perhaps even your Constitution depending on the method of training up to a certain point. It is a very fluid system. But Mastery of the skill will not make you the strongest man alive. It is the same reason that even the best Weightlifters are not necessarily the hardest hitters. Strength needs skill to be guided. Also each skill offers diminishing returns at each Rank of the skill; Apprentice for 1-25, Journeyman for 26-50, Expert for 51-75, and Master for 75-100 but offer bonuses at each rank." Harry paid apt attention to the description. He needed to, as he knew that he would be working diligently to level everything as quickly as possible in order to defeat Voldemort.

With a flourish, the Character Sheet shimmered and rolled up "You will also discover skills as you progress through the world, either from books or from sheer force of will, or even secrets buried throughout the world. What I mean by force of will is that if you were to braid someone's hair it would not confer a bonus as there is currently no Hair Styling skill on _your _Character Sheet. Certainly there are skilled people of that vocation. If you were to braid hair 50 times, you might unlock the skill. Once the skill is unlocked it becomes much easier to get a few more levels in it. True mastery of a skill takes immense time and effort as I'm sure you will see"

Tyran stood up and stepped onto the table, beginning to shrink again the Construct reformed into a bracelet covered in the dizzying arrays of Runes that Harry remembered from the Center before zooming through the air and securing itself around his wrist. "Now let us begin with the basics Chosen and renotify you of the Accomplishments you have already achieved so that you may receive your bonuses accordingly. We may not change the events of previous years, but Fate felt that you could benefit from the bonuses, and as it stands even a basic 2nd year would beat you until these are added"

_Congrats! You have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. +2 to Magic. Access to Hogwarts Granted._

_Congrats! You joined the Gryffindor House Quidditch Team. +2 to Broom Handling, +10 to Quidditch +25 Reputation with Gryffindor House_

_Congrats! You have become the youngest Seeker in a Century! +5 to Broom Handling, +5 to Quidditch_

"What would be the difference between Quidditch and Broom Handling?" Harry asked as the Notification sounded in his head.

"Quidditch is the basic ability to catch, throw, and block a Quaffle. It also determines strength and accuracy when hitting a Bludger, and the way that a Snitch might react around you. It's also a Unique skill in that if you were to play Keeper or Beater your skill level would change accordingly to allow growth in that Position. It is this way with many sports." Tyran explained helpfully.

_Congrats! You have passed the Philosopher Trials. +5 to Chess, +1 to Broom Handling, +2 to Potions, +1 to Alchemy._

_Congrats! You have won the House Cup! +75 to Reputation with Gryffindor House. -25 to Reputation with other Houses._

_Congrats! You have dueled with Malfoy! Must have felt great to have indulged in childish rivalries right? +1 to Dueling, +1 to Parseltongue. -1000 Reputation with Hogwarts._

"Wow… 1000? Its amazing that Gryffindor didn't hate me too…" Harry mumbled.

Tyran felt the need to respond anyways, "Well classifications like Hogwarts or Ravenclaw apply to the nameless of that Faction, people you have not interacted with enough to be warranted their own Reputation ranking"

_Congrats! You have discovered Lockhart's Lies and given him his just desserts! Obliviate Spell Learned. Hair Style Spell Learned._

_Congrats! You have discovered the lost Chamber of Secrets! Access to Chamber of Secrets Granted. New Save Point discovered. New Instance discovered. +10 Parseltongue._

"Instance? Save Point?" Harry inquired.

"Yes. There are places in this world where you can enter an Instance. This is one of the things only a Chosen can do, where they enter a pocket plane much like the Center that exists outside of Time and where you can do some training" Tyran elaborated.

_Congrats! You have destroyed Tom Riddle's Diary. +5 to Parseltongue. +10 to Dark Arts. Life Debt with Ginerva Molly Weasley earned._

"Whoa whoa whoa, Life Debt?" the young hero asked the Construct.

"Yes. If in enough risk of losing Life or Magic, then a Life Debt can form between the savior and the one they saved. Their Magic views yours as superior and will bow in subservience to you. Basically if you activate this you pretty much own young Ginerva until such time as you release her or her magic reestablishes its independence. If you do nothing with it then it may go away, but if memory serves her desire to be with you activated the debt on its own" the red and black Runic being tapped its temple a couple times as if in thought but let the listing continue.

_Congrats! You have defeated Salazar Slytherin's Legendary Basilisk. +40 Parseltongue. Parseltongue Language Mastered! 4 Skill Boons available. +5 to Dark Arts. Sword of Godric Gryffindor added to Inventory. Basilisk Materials added to Inventory. +5000 Galleons. +10000 Exp._

_Ding! Level Up! You are now Level 6. Skill points awarded. 85 Skill Points unspent. One Home Token unused. 8 Skill Boons unused. 12 Stat Points unused. 3 Feat Points unused._

"I will explain Feats, Skill Boons and Stat Points when we level you up" Tyran supplied before the inevitable questions.

_Congrats! You are Level 3! Feat Screen unlocked. Class Specialization unlocked._

"Fucking hell… That was a lot" Harry stated bluntly. There was a soft thud as he flopped back into the seat behind him and the world regained color.

-Fin-

A/N: Well there is chapter 2. Working on 3 now but wanted to give you guys a small taste as a lot happened in this chapter despite the lower word count. Harry is Emancipated and Trace free! Simplistic approach but everyone always made a big to-do about what basically every witch or wizard got once they passed a few tests. At the age of 15. 2 years doesn't seem so impressive now does it?

Til next time!

Patch 1.0.2: Put the Skills system and Tutorial intro into this Chapter as it felt clunky without.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Man what a weekend! It is now Sunday as I'm writing this, went on a little vacay with the SO and time got away from me. I meant to put some work into the chapters before now. But I'm sure there will be tons of questions about the new direction I'm taking the story. The groundwork is still being laid as well. Currently I'm putting together a master document of possible skills and skill boons for those skills together and… my brain hurts lol. Hopefully I can get it out of my head and onto paper in a way that doesn't drive you guys crazy.

Also thank you so much for all the reviews! I recently had one that stated that Harry's magic was very low for someone who learned the Patronus at age 13. This is true, for sure, but I failed to explain that I was showing age 11 Level 1 Harry stats so I revamped chapter 1 again to clarify. Also its not like he got the spell on the first try!

Chapter 3: Diagon Alley, Inheritance, Levelling Up.

The large character sheet stood open in front of Harry. Next to all his stats stood plus signs. Currently he was scratching his head in annoyance as he thought about what would help him. Tyran resided on his wrist in the elaborate bracelet form. His Inventory had much more in it than it did before. It was all very confusing, and long. It was also explained that only Magical skills offered Boons which were additional bonuses on top of the intrinsic bonus of having the skill leveled. He had already applied the Skill Boons he had available which wasn't many compared to the list of skills he had available. But he had 85 points. He could walk into 3rd year ready to receive his Mastery in Transfiguration if he were so inclined. He was also baffled at what was a skill and what was not, as DADA was not. But Tyran explained that the spells involved were of other generalizations of magic and that the class was more about arming yourself with Defensive Spells, Counters to spells which fell under the category of the spell that caused the negative effect, and knowledge of Dark Magical Creatures. And apparently even though he knew of some skills not on this list such as Ancient Runes, he would need to receive at least a basic understand of the skill in this life and essentially learn it fresh. His current bonuses were a rough estimation of his previous skills prior to the age of 13 from Primary school and 2 years of Hogwarts education.

Then Feats were offered, and he had to choose those too and they were basically Perks in and of themselves. With a sigh he started again at the top and read through.

**Harry James Potter**

**Age: 13**

**Class and Level: Apprentice Wizard 6**

**Health: 105**

**Magicka: 270**

**Stamina: 165**

**Stats**

**Strength- 3**

**Dexterity- 14**

**Constitution- 4**

**Perception- 1 (+10 with Glasses)**

**Intelligence- 18**

**Willpower- 9**

**Magic- 4 (+15)**

**Charisma- 18**

**Perks:**

Fated Luck: +10 to Luck always, -40 to Luck in certain situations.

Magical Powerhouse: +10 to Magic, +5 to Willpower, +10 to Magicka Regeneration, +5 to Learning when it involves Spells. Magicka now grows at a 1.5 rate vs the standard .8 of most Wizards.

Flyer: +20 Broom Handling, +10 Creature Handling if creature has wings.

Parselmouth: +35 to Parseltongue.

Family Heritage: +5 to Broom Handling, +5 Transfiguration, +5 Charms, +5 Potions.

Puberty = Truck: Puberty is going to kick your ass and put hair in so many places. I won't go into details. Affects 3rd year Summer.

Linguist: +2 to Learning when it involves Languages.

Represent: +5% Reputation Gains, -5% Reputation Losses.

**Disadvantages:**

Poor Eyesight: -8 to Perception without glasses or similar device. +10 with them on.

Chosen One: -20 to Luck in certain situations. +5 to Magic. Certain events are unavoidable. +25% Reputation Gains, +25% Reputation Losses.

**Feats**

**Magic Skills**

Transfiguration – 15

Herbology – 10

Charms – 15

Potions – 14

Astrology – 11

Defensive Spells – 20

Care of Magical Creatures – 5

Dark Arts – 18

Alchemy – 1

**Physical Skills**

Quidditch – 2 Keeper, 2 Beater, 6 Chaser, 45 Seeker

Boon Seeker: You are able to track the Snitch more readily! Snitch will give an indicator when it is about to change direction.

Running – 16

Weightlifting – 4

Swimming – 3

Acrobatics – 18

Climbing – 15

Sword – 8

Cloth Armor – 33

Boon: Regular Clothes Shmegular Clothes. Any cloth is armor! +1 to armor per slot if equipped item is Cloth. Robes provide +2 per slot.

**Social Skills**

Diplomacy – 10

Intimidation – 1

Performance – 2

Etiquette – 1

Flirting – 4

Sense Intention – 10

Chess – 12

**Stealth Skills**

Disguise – 3

Sleight of Hand – 5

Lying – 6

Escaping – 21

Stealth – 24

**Hybrid Skills**

Dueling – 4

Broom Handling – 51

Boon: You have a need for speed and your broom realizes it. +10 MPH to max speed regardless of model!

Boon: While on a Broomstick, gain +10 to Dodge!

**Mental Skills**

Parseltongue – 100

Boon: Snakes have a predisposition of +2000 Reputation when you reveal yourself as a Speaker

Boon: Spells with a 'Sss' sound may be cast in Parseltongue for +5 Difficulty Rating to overcome

Boon: The nuances of Parseltongue make other languages seem easy. +1 to Learning if it involves Languages.

Boon Mastery: May have a magical snake as a Familiar that does not count against your familiar slot.

English – 70

History – 15

Science – 9

Mathematics – 10

_Class Specialization Apprentice chosen: +5% Exp Gain. +2 Learning. Unlocks Specializations Sorcerer, Mage, and Archmage at further levels._

Tyran's voice now seemed to come out of his mind instead of seeming to be spoken aloud, and it was through this that he knew he had also had a Class Specialization available that would allow him to streamline a little in the long run but did not offer many bonuses. He chose with the most general one that seemed to imply the best long-term bonuses and went with Apprentice. Battlemage was too combat oriented, with the further specialization of Warlock, Spell-blade, and Eldritch Knight at further levels but had offered increased abilities with the Sword of Godric Gryffindor in his Inventory. Arcane Trickster was far too passive as well even though the ? for further specialization did tempt him a bit. It helped that Tyran also explained that any bonuses the Specializations could provide could be found elsewhere but Harry didn't get much else out of him regarding that.

For the stats, Harry wanted to round out his character a bit and chose to bring Strength, Constitution, and Magic up to 8 points. The bonuses he had to Magic were useful, but he wanted them to augment an already impressive pool instead of just be the reason he had a decent pool to begin with. With confirmation that it was allowed Harry also chose to save the 85 points he had for now and perhaps spend them before school once he finished the Tutorial.

3 Feat points though. That was what was currently stumping Harry. Feat Points were earned through quests and every odd level. He regretted not choosing 2nd year now as apparently if he had gotten the Chamber of Secrets quest instead of simply an after the fact bonus, he might have earned a lot more benefits. Each odd level unlocked between 1 and 3 Feats for purchase with previous level Feats still able to be earned. He had 6 options available and had already chosen 1 to augment the Apprentice and Magical Powerhouse bonus.

**The Wand Chooses the Wizard but the Wizard Chooses the Spell: **+3 to Learning when it involves spells. This gave him a +10 to learn new spells. That was immense according to Tyran as no other Wizard or Witch had a Character Sheet or Perks or Feats though, so Harry knew that this time around he would end up much stronger than any of his peers. Hermione might still give him a run for his money though. Learning affected the rate at which he would receive skill experience so he knew he would be picking up a language or two before long as the Apprentice bonus added to his Linguist Perk and Parseltongue Boon as well.

Browsing through the remaining 5 options he eventually decided on 2 more for now, again with a focus on long-term growth and the knowledge that he could pick up 1 more before school as he was hellbent on getting to Level 7 before then.

**Magical Aura: **Your magic radiates around you, impressing those with the ability to sense it and offering defensive capabilities. +5 Damage Reduction to Spells. +10 to Social Skills against sensitive targets.

**Motion of the Potion: **Potions no longer require a 3 second Drinking Action. When he had initially saw this perk Harry wondered what the heck it meant but Tyran explained that all potions would require him to essentially remove himself from combat for 3 seconds to drink it. It was one of a few ways that people outside of the Game System had an advantage over him, so he opted to remove that advantage as soon as he could. And essentially being able to 'think' about the potion to drink it from his Inventory Hotbar was very useful and discrete as he thought of the Polyjuice he utilized in 2nd year.

With another glance at the available options Harry finally stood up and headed to the bed for a well-deserved rest, only to see an odd menu floating above it.

**Wait**

**Rest**

"Ah, you have found another perk of the Gamer System. Essentially you no longer have a true need for sleep. Mental wear and tear is still taken into account though and your mind will still receive the full benefits of resting even if you only rest the minimum 1 hour" Harry's grin reached new levels at Tyran's helpful input. The Guide was truly becoming intuitive to his questions. Harry selected decided to rest until 6 AM before going exploring. Finally!

Strolling down Charing Cross Road was a truly impressive young man. Red hair, medium auburn in color, down to his ears and stylized in a manner that looked windblown. Broad shoulders for his age and a rather impressive swagger to his step the boy would normally catch the eye of any girl his age and maybe even a few years older if not for the ragged clothes he wore. But considering no one could see the multitude of clothes currently residing in his Inventory this was exactly what Harry wanted as he swung the door of the Leaky Cauldron open and quickly made his way through to his room which he knew he would need to rent again on his way back down.

It was currently 11 AM and young Harry had just spent a few hours in the Muggle world with about £20,000 still converted from his deal with Vernon. In the interest of enjoying his newfound freedom he had sprung for a nice haircut from a girl named Hannah that went full makeover on him. At her recommendation he had then went to a string of stores nearby that had been more than happy for the young man to spend his money.

He now had clothes that were current, stylish and well-made. Once up in his room he quickly utilized the Inventory System to put his old clothes away and adorn himself in new trainers, some well-fitting gray jeans and underwear, a maroon button-up short sleeve under a new gray vest and some prescription contacts. Luckily the menu prevented any annoyances of learning to put the contacts in.

Checking himself in the menu, Harry decided that he very much appreciated what 8 strength looked like on a 13-year-old him as the arms of the shirt were able to show off his newly pronounced biceps and forearms. Stats like strength didn't need to show him off as a musclebound idiot which he appreciated as thanks to Tyran he was now able to see the feature under strength that decided how much muscle would be apparent. The slider would steadily grow as he upped the stat but would never force him to look immensely large as the look never appealed to him. This was doubly good as Harry fully intended to maximize as many stats as he could this go-around.

Descending the stairs again he approached Tom the Barkeep, "Hello, I'd like to extend my stay 3 days as I still have some business in the Alley. How much would I owe?"

Tom glanced at the boy, so different from the one he met a couple years ago "Well it would only cost 1 Galleon and 4 Sickles for 3 more nights. Is it wise to be away from home so long though Mr. Potter? Haven't you heard about Black?"

With a grimace Harry realized he had forgotten that Sirius escaped this summer. He had known it but forgot the effect it would have on his now being essentially homeless. Thankfully Tom mistook the grimace as the boy simply displaying his distaste for the man who betrayed his parents.

"I have. I doubt an escapee would have the means to track me down to Diagon so soon after his escape though. I plan to be safe and sound by Thursday" Harry explained with a charming smile that Tom matched as best at the toothless man could as a nod and money were exchanged.

With that business done, Harry made his way into Diagon Alley and through it straight to the Bank of Gringotts. The people of the alley, mostly housewives and servants on errands, sent a few appreciative glances at the well-dressed boy though a few of the more traditional witches scoffed at his lack of robes. He would fix that soon. Their scoffs turned to disguised coughs though as he had his scar on full display and they realized just who they were scoffing at. Harry intended to seize control of his fame this time and that unfortunately meant letting the rest of the world know that he was Harry James Fucking Potter. A few flashes of light as he passed the Teen Witch Weekly booth meant that he would be getting some good publicity he hoped.

Once inside the bank he pulled up short as floating above the head of all of the tellers were golden exclamation points. Tyran explained that it was simply to show he had a pending reward acceptance from them for a recent achievement and reminded Harry that he was here for his inheritance from the quest with Vernon.

Quickly recovering he walked up to the closest teller and received directions to an office a little closer to the entrance to the cart tunnels. Once there he knocked on the office labelled **Inheritances, Wills, and Heir Logistical Offices**. This led to a large hallway labelled with doors all in alphabetical orders. A human woman stood to the side.

"Hello, my name is Clarissa. Please follow the hall to your Family office and a Goblin will be with you shortly" she said this with a charming smile that Harry matched. The woman gawked as he walked by and his scar got noticed. Yup, definitely a front-page feature.

The Potter office, though he had no frame of reference, seemed well appointed if a bit unused. There was a small layer of dust on some of the belongings, but Harry knew from experience that any magic cast in Gringotts usually led to trouble so instead of the seat he perused the desk. From his past he knew that families rented an office within Gringotts for family matters such as this as it made all the logistic business with vault keys and record keeping much easier. There was even a mail slot that transported any documents put inside directly to the office at the Ministry that handled similar matters.

Soon enough a Goblin walked in and took a seat in front of the desk and Harry behind it "I won't take much of your time Master Goblin, I'm simply here to receive access to my family vault. I also have need to purchase a Portkey to Hogsmeade as I intend to spend the rest of my summer in that area. Would you be able to assist me?"

The Goblin smiled and responded "Certainly, Lord Potter. Gringotts found it as a surprise that your accounts suddenly became active early yesterday afternoon, but my tellers tell me that you had a very convincing argument with your Muggle relatives. We can head to the vault now and I will have an assistant get the Portkey ready. When do you need it to activate?"

Again from his past Harry knew that any domestic Portkeys were simple enough to purchase and figured that based on his conversation with Tyran that the tutorial would only last 3 world days he would be best off to have a plan on where to head afterwards. He ruled out going to the Weasleys or the Grangers as they would simply worry too much about him and he needed autonomy for the rest of the summer. It was sheer luck that he hadn't been accosted by someone from Hogwarts or the Ministry thus far but figured that since he didn't blow up his aunt this summer he might be flying under the radar at the moment. This was also why he didn't take the Knight Bus as he didn't trust Stan Shunpike.

"I would like it voice activated with the phrase 'Hoggy Warty'" There was always safety in options.

"Certainly" With a few choice words in Gobbledygook to a smaller Goblin outside they headed to the cart tunnels through a side door and soon were speeding below London at breakneck speed.

"Are there any useful words in Gobbledygook that a Human might benefit from knowing?" Harry asked carefully as they zoomed around a turn and passed through the Thief's Downfall. He was hoping to get a baseline translation to perhaps unlock the skill, but he had no idea how careful they were with their language.

Luckily the Goblin seemed amicable and taught him the word for teller, vault, and gold but this wasn't enough to prompt anything from the system. Maybe there was a primer he could get somewhere that would unlock it for him.

Soon enough they stopped in front of an area just below where he knew the Lestrange vault to be and they quickly made their way past the greenish dragon that guarded the vault door.

Inside the vault was magnificent. Gold was piled high, a few effects from the Potter Manor were stacked in the corner but he knew the rest was lost when the building burnt up. There was a section in the front that belonged to his parents and had 2 school trunks and 2 regular trunks of various things. Double checking to ensure that the Goblin was waiting on the other side of the closed vault door Harry nodded to himself.

"Tyran can you explain the Inventory System and Crafting System again?" Harry asked.

"Why yes I can, Chosen." With the sound of a throat clearing Tyran began, "The Inventory System is one of the most powerful aspects of the Gamer. Unlike some systems that correlate a gravity effect upon the user based on the amount of stuff within his Inventory this system is free. The storage space directly correlates with the amount of Magic a user has but there is a sort and search feature in case it gets cluttered. Currently you have 800 slots. Each item of a certain type takes up a slot and duplicates stack infinitely. So you will have Galleons in one slot, Sickles in another, and Knuts in a 3rd but those items stack infinitely. The true strength of the Inventory System comes from the ability to have items stored inside other items. If you were to fill a trunk with books, then the trunk would take up 1 slot. The trunk would need to be removed from the Inventory to access the books and the trunk may not be magically enhanced storage. This is a minor balancing feature but also prevents any extradimensional errors involved with storing magical areas inside magical areas. This only applies to the Inventory System as there is conflict to conventional magics in this area. The Inventory System is applied to any pockets or storage on your person such as pouches, pockets, hidden stashes in a boot and such and there is no size requirement to moving items in and out of storage. This prevents you from losing access to your Inventory except in the most extreme of cases. You may also set up a Hotbar of items. These slots again correlate to your Magic. You have 8 slots currently. Items placed on the Hotbar may be accessed with a thought similar to a Switching Spell and will appear as a wandless version of such a Spell to an onlooker"

His mind still spinning even after hear this explanation again Harry committed as much of it to memory as he could before Tyran began again, "The Crafting System is equally impressive in its strengths for the Gamer. Once a basic understanding of an item is acquired, either through Study, Use, or Dismantle the Gamer may attempt to craft a similar item from Materials he acquired from the world. These materials may be acquired from Monsters, Quests, Dismantle, or from Shops. The Crafting System utilizes a chance of success based on quality of Materials, appropriate Skill, and a dash of Luck. Critical successes lead to Masterwork items that are of a higher bonus than an item of equal Material and Skill. The strength of this System comes from the lack of time to create an item. What may take a Master 4 days to complete will still only take you but a few seconds at the appropriate Crafting Station. Polyjuice Potion for example would only take a few seconds despite the month-long brewing process"

Now some may say that Harry Potter was dumb. And many would have been right. But our new and improved Harry had an Intelligence of 18 which was much higher than his previous life. As such he looked around the room with renewed interest. Quickly depositing almost 95% of the Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts into his Inventory he moved over to the trunks and stored those too. He grabbed all the weapons and armor that were displayed but there wasn't much in the vault unfortunately, just a few decorative daggers, swords, and ceremonial armor. The jewelry and gems were useful though as he intended to see about Enchanting as a Skill as soon as he could.

All in all he was the proud owner of almost 10,500,000 Galleons worth of money which was much more than he would need in a few lifetimes living normally. He knew that interest would still deposit here and knew enough of his family's logistics to know how much it needed to keep running. He could come back here in a couple years and make another sizeable withdrawal if the need ever came up. With one last glance around for any other items worth taking he grabbed a few of the old wardrobes stored from ancestors. The styles were lame, but the cloth had been preserved well enough to be dismantled. Unfortunately many of his ancestors had a predisposition for expanded pockets and he couldn't take as many as he liked. Joining the Goblin outside they zoomed back up to the surface and Harry now knew the words for dragon, wizard, wand, Sickle, Knut, and Galleon. Still no prompt though which sort of bummed our hero out.

On the surface he thanked the Goblin and put on his family ring. He was interested to see that it was Magical according to the game.

_Potter Lordship Ring: Grants Access to Potter Wards. Detects Poisons. +5 Diplomacy._

"My word is that Harry Potter? Look at that ring. Look at the hair. He has his Lordship?" whispers such as these followed Harry out of the bank. There were a few high society types who recognized him and his ring from his father and grandfather. It seemed he was making waves today. Lord Potter would bet his Inventory that he received at least a letter from Dumbledore today he was sure.

Quickly he headed down the street to Twillfit and Tattings to purchase school robes, formal robes, dress robes, and casual robes. He spared no expense and had enough full sets in his Inventory to make even a Malfoy nod his head in respect. Leaving the shop he had on a stylish Acromantula Silk Robe over his previous outfit. Once he saw how useful the cloth was, he quickly bought a few bolts for when his Crafting Skill was levelled. The material was notoriously hard to come by though.

There was now a small crowd in the street as he made his way across the cobblestones to Magical Menagerie where he bought a young Boomslang who he named Kijani. This meant green in Swahili according to the Snake and was what his captor had called him. Harry knew the skin it shed could be used for Polyjuice and any fangs it lost would be helpful for potions as well. The small green snake curled up inside on of his pockets with a promise not to bite him if he reached into it. Regardless he chose not to jostle the snake much as he made his way over to Flourish and Blotts with the intent to utilize another of the Gamer bonuses.

"Books carry knowledge, and many a bibliophile has devoted their life to the symbols and words carried in its bindings. The Gamer has no time for that and will instead benefit from a quick perusal of its pages. Skill books will glow gold, but any book may be read in this manner" Tyran had explained earlier today.

Inside the store Harry started laughing to himself as all around him were books glowing gold. It became apparent though that much of the gold around him was multiple copies of the same book. Grabbing a Charms text off the shelf he quickly flipped through the pages and smiled as Tyran's voice rang out in his head.

_+1 Charms_

Looking around he quickly made short work of the remaining golden books. There were some about many subjects and his skill list received a decided lengthening once he was done.

_+8 Charms_

_+7 Transfiguration_

_+4 Defensive Spells. Protego Learned. Maxima Spell Variant Learned_

_+2 Dueling_

_+2 Astrology_

_+4 Divination_

_+6 Ancient Runes_

_+8 Arithmancy_

_+1 Alchemy_

_+1 Enchanting_ Harry smiled as he put the primer away, this would be a good skill to put some points into he decided but moved on to the next section.

_+8 Care of Magical Creatures_

_+6 Potions_

_+12 Herbology_

_+2 Quidditch, All Positions_

_+1 Sword_

_+3 Etiquette_

_+2 Performance_

_+1 Chess_

_+1 Broom Handling_ With those sections Harry rubbed his slightly hurting head and then saw a section that made him chuckle a bit. Oh he would show Fleur what a leetle boy could do.

_+4 French_

_+2 Gobbledygook_

_+8 German_

Sporting a now splitting headache Harry left the store and immediately wished he hadn't. Outside stood Minister Fudge, and an escort of 4 Aurors. Quickly Harry paused and put 10 Points in Etiquette. He would need the additional knowledge to get out of this with his plan intact.

"Ah, hello Mr. Potter. I'm glad to have caught up to you, you've had a very busy day it seems" Fudge chuckled nervously as he stepped forward and held out his hand. Harry turned with him and smiled at the camera as they shook hands and began walking towards the Leaky Cauldron.

"Hello indeed Minister Fudge. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Harry said as they strolled down the streets. The Aurors kept up and watched the now rather large crowd intently.

"I was merely passing through when I heard you were in the Alley. I'm here on official Ministry business you see, but I couldn't help but be worried for your safety. Have you read the Prophet recently?" The green bowler hat rotated in the pudgy man's hand as Harry formulated a good response.

"I have. Unfortunate business that Azkaban was unable to hold the man responsible for so much tragedy, including my own" Harry took a quick turn down a side street. He didn't want Fudge to pressure him to Floo anywhere.

A nervous chuckle, "Right, right. We have our best Aurors tracking Black through the country now. There are some promising leads in the North Scotland area"

"Well that seems a far reach from local London. I only intend to stay within the Alley for a few more days. Lordship business you see" Harry flashed his ring "I recently came into my inheritance and there's quite a few things I'm getting caught up on. Perhaps we can grab some lunch here and I can pick your brain on a few matters? My treat of course" They came to a stop in front of a nice restaurant that served traditional English fair and had quite the selection of brews according to Mr. Weasley.

Fudge's grin grew as he thought of himself as confidante to the Boy-Who-Lived and Harry knew that he had the man placated for the moment.

Bidding farewell to the portly and now slightly tipsy man Harry walked towards the Leaky with an intent to grab a Gamer nap before he got sidetracked again. Luckily no one else approached him and now rested and secure in his room he made some preparations. He grabbed the trunks out of his inventory and placed them on the floor. Deciding to start with his Father's he opened the general trunk and rummaged through it. He didn't look in these much at the Bank beyond a simple glance to confirm they weren't expanded but it looked like even his Father felt that was unnecessary on most trunks. Confirming it was simply some clothes, he kept a tie, some cufflinks, and a watch but Dismantled the rest into Materials and the trunk soon followed.

_+3 Tailoring_

_+1 Trunk Making_

The school trunk rewarded him a bit more though. Inside were all his Dad's school books which were quickly perused as they were not available at the bookstore which seemed to only carry current subjects and authors.

_+7 Transfiguration. 1 Skill Boon Available_

_+3 Charms. 1 Skill Boon Available_

_+4 Defensive Spells. 1 Skill Boon Available._

_+3 Astrology_

_+4 Potions_

Harry even lucked out and saw an older edition of the Gryffindor Playbook and netted a _+3 Quiddtich, All Positions +4 Chaser _from reading it. He set that one into his Inventory with the intent to give to Oliver this year. There was also a book titled Guide to Being an Heir: For Dipshits that had a hilarious footnote inside from Sirius. Apparently, the Black scion had had the book commissioned with the least helpful information he could find including 'If you meet a young lady, and she tickles the fancy, put your dick on the table and tell her you fancy a tickle'. It was well worth the _-1 Etiquette, how dare you_ in Harry's opinion. During the Dismantle process he found out that there had been a hidden drawer inside, and a book titled _Marauder's Playbook _fell out. This net a whopping _+20 Pranking _and _+10 Animagus Transformation_ that Harry really enjoyed. He set the book aside for Sirius.

Mother's trunk Harry quickly determined that his Mom had been a bit of a diary fiend. Luckily, she was studious enough that in addition to some rare Charms and Potions books he was able to net quite a few more points. Though he didn't need to know that his mom was a 30B when he Dismantled the clothes.

_+3 Charms. 1 Skill Boon Available._

_+2 Potions. 1 Skill Boon Available._

_+1 Transfiguration. 1 Skill Boon Available._

_+2 Ancient Runes_

_+2 Arithmancy_

_+4 Defensive Spells_

_+4 Divination_

_+1 Care of Magical Creatures_

_+2 Herbology_

_+1 Dark Arts. Sectumsempra Spell Learned _Harry gave a start at this but realized that there was a note written in the same handwriting he remembered from his 6th year Potions book. Snape had given her a copy of his Sectumsempra Spell with a note that said, 'JUST IN CASE'.

A quick look through her regular trunk and he chose to leave this one alone, as inside was her Wedding dress still in a Muggle protective bag. Checking the time, Harry went downstairs for a quick bite but soon came back up to the room and chose to Rest until 6 AM again. Tomorrow was a new day.

A/N: Dang. Over 5k words in this chapter. Hope everyone enjoyed finally getting a full glimpse at Harry's character sheet. I apologize for all the weird capitalization, there are some things that are a bit … more than they typically would be and I'm trying to make that apparent. Hopefully I can keep it all straight. I'll start on Chapter 4 soon for you all, but its gonna be a busy work week so it may be a few days before anything is posted.

A quick side-note as Harry will dive right into it this year at Hogwarts, I intend to have him dating around for a while. Hence the flirting skill. I strongly doubt it will end up as a Harem as those are so tedious and unbelievable but there may be some Lemons involved down the line as Harry continues to grow and impress the people around him. If you have any requests of dates please let me know!

Til next time!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: HELLO. Sorry it has been so long since an update. I have religiously kept up with my reviews though and want to clarify a few things real quick by responding to the some here where everyone can see.

The GreatBubbaJ mentioned that there was nothing Basilisk related. There is a _small_ footnote about it in the after-the-fact rewards and it will come up in the future! He also mentioned in a _3__rd_review (Thank you BubbaJ for your support) not to forget his scaly little friend. I can promise that Kijani will come into play in the future as well. There was also a question about relationships and making sure he has female friends so to expand upon the footnote of the previous chapter I will have Harry dating around for a while. I intend to have him befriend a lot of people this upcoming year. I'll try not to make all the girls fawn over him too much and keep the relationships healthy and reasonable.

There was also some confusion on if Harry is level 3 or level 6. He is level 6, the level 3 notification was simply to state he unlocked the Feat Screen.

And last but not least I have made it to 50 Followers which is awesome! Thanks everyone

From here on out I will be applying scene breaks with ***Break*** as I found out that my line format was not going to FFnet properly. I do apologize for the confusion this may have caused some readers.

***Break***

Chapter 4: Plans and Press Conferences

The second day of the tutorial. So much to accomplish. So many chances to change things. This ever growing to-do list currently had our Harry… well currently he was eating ice cream but he was thinking really hard too damn it. At least that's how he imagined his conversations with Tyran looked to an outsider. He had just finished a shopping trip in the Alley, picking up a few more odds and ends that he intended to Dismantle and a few sets of Potion ingredients.

"So I don't need sleep, other than to mentally take a break from the game since Resting puts me in a sort of Limbo state where I can just relax for a while. I don't need food other than for status effects and general pleasure. Anything else I should know about this Gamer lifestyle?" Harry bit through a half-frozen chunk of strawberry and sighed in pleasure as the coolness battled against the growing heat of the outdoors.

"The Crucio spell should be pretty low on your list of worries as pain is very muted for the Gamer to allow for key gameplay functions to still occur. Instead of mind-numbing agony it will be more like logically knowing that you're currently on fire and kind of being okay with it. Legilimency is also no concern for you as too many aspects of your life will be affected by the Game and therefore Fate has decreed that your mind is simply unreadable. To a casual observer… well as casual as someone attempting to mind-fuck a 13-year-old boy when they're going through key changes and are really only thinking about one thing… sorry. To the casual observer it will simply seem as though you have considerable Occlumency skills. To the determined observer they will simply be ejected, forcefully. Yes this will apply to Voldemort as well because in Fate's own words 'Fuck that guy'" They had been in conversations like this for much of the morning as Harry opted to test a few things. Nothing substantial was learned through testing but the conversations have been enlightening.

The ice cream now firmly resting in Harry's stomach he went to explore Flourish and Blott's again. The skill of being able to flip through a book and learn its contents did not just apply to skill books so he intended to get a lot of knowledge this time through life and blow everyone away this year. After an hour or so as he flipped through a book on Muggle Studies for the heck of it suddenly an amazing idea occurred to him. A plan. A plan so diabolic, so useful, that he wondered if it would even work.

"Tyran. Tyran. Tyran. Tyran. Tyran. TYRAN." His brain was rapid firing as he considered the implications of this plan.

The sigh might as well have been audible as the Construct replied, "Yes Chosen?"

Harry excitedly jumped into his question, "How does Time apply to me? I mean obviously it applies to me but since my game age has been separated from my real age, and I don't need sleep, then if I were to get say… a Time Turner, then could I essentially abuse the shit out of it and not run myself into the floor? And not age myself prematurely?"

"Hmm. Well your physical age is meant to be permanent and not influenced by your gameplay as Fate wanted you to be able to live a happy fruitful life without feeling like you're much older than your friends or feel like a creep if you kissed someone or more. Running simulation now… Yes Chosen you could essentially abuse the shit out of it. There is a function within the game currently that would also apply to Time Turners to prevent your aging being affected" was the incredibly well-received response.

Now it was simply a matter of explaining to McGonagall that he could in fact handle the course load. Maybe an explanation and arranged meet-up would be worth the risk of attracting Dumbledore? Harry shot to his feet and jogged down to the Leaky Cauldron. Hedwig would be happy, since he might as well write to his friends while he was at it.

***Break***

Minerva McGonagall strode down the streets of Diagon Alley toward one of the many restaurants down the side streets of the Alley. She was off to meet with a young Mr. Potter who had very surprisingly sent her a letter this summer about changing his electives. There was a brief window during the summer where children were allowed to change courses since they would have a chance to talk with parents, siblings, and friends about it a little more freely and they usually changed their mind. But to go from 2 courses to all 5? Well he wouldn't be the only one this year.

Soon enough she found herself in front of a nicely decorated slightly upscale restaurant named The Glowing Goblet. It was well known for its cheese and wine selection and a popular spot for simple meetups of colleagues. Mr. Potter apparently had a reservation in one of the side rooms as well.

"Hello Professor" Said a dashing young man standing next to a chair in the side room. The seat meant for her was pulled out and well matched wine to the current tray of cheese on the table was poured and McGonagall settled in and sampled both before replying.

"Hello youn… Mr. Potter?" She did a double take as those eyes were simply unmistakably Lily's eyes. The haircut accentuated his sharper jawline and made his emerald green eyes almost pop with color.

A healthy and endearing chuckle broke the brief silence "Yes Professor it's probably a shock to see the new style. It's been a really good summer even in the short 3 days since term ended"

Seating himself and sipping some flavored butterbeer and popping a bit of cheese in his own mouth he formulated how he would even begin to explain the sudden changes in him. Well, sudden to those not in the know. He was glad that he slid the slider for strength back down and had bought a smaller shirt for this meeting as he didn't want his Professor to think he was taking performance enhancing potions of some other rot.

"So it seems. Your hair may be more like your mother's now, but your bearing has improved. Your father would be proud to see you're coming into the Potter swagger as he was so wan to call it" she said with a chuckle. It was fantastic to see the timid young boy begin to show some confidence. She did not feel sorry for the young girls who would be trying to catch his fancy this upcoming year.

"That definitely sounds like my Dad" Harry said with another chuckle that seemed to broaden the slight grin on his Professor's face "I suppose I should start at the beginning though. I appreciate you coming to meet me about the classes, the news of me changing my choices to all 5 electives probably came as a shock"

At her nod and a bit of companionable silence broken by the sound of more cheese samples being chosen Harry began to explain about the Dursleys "When I got home this summer I had received some correspondence from Gringotts about an outstanding debt of my Father's and to come by the Bank as soon as I could. I managed to convince my Uncle to take me and met with a teller. Through them I was able to learn of my inheritance. My Uncle, kind old soul that he is, saw this as an opportunity to… allow me to be closer to my heritage and we struck a deal. He emancipated me" he started to go on but the choking cough that escaped McGonagall's mouth as she was eating a piece of cheese stopped him.

"Emancipated?! You're only twelve!" the stern tone of the Transfiguration Professor rang through the small room.

Harry was smart enough not to bring up his impending Birthday "Yes, emancipated. I paid him to do so, and it was agreeable to both sides" he held up a hand to stop her reply and surprisingly she refrained from interrupting "It cannot be undone regardless as the paperwork has been filled out, filed, stamped, and I wouldn't go back to those terrible people even if I had to drop out of Hogwarts. I was never happy there, Professor"

She nodded as she remembered a cold November morning just over a decade ago when she warned Albus not to place this young boy there. It was hardly ideal but it seems he got away from them sooner traditional social customs allowed.

"And this led to the new hair and request for more classwork? Is that wise, Mr. Potter?" She regarded him with the same 'don't fuck with me or I'll Transfigure your underpants into ants' look that cowed many students into behaving.

To her immense surprise he met it with a stern look of his own and the simple answer, "Yes."

Harry continued after a moment and stared at the drink in his hands as he spoke "The Dursleys were terrible people Professor. Extremely terrible. While there I was forced to do all the cleaning and cooking, the maintenance of the home, and my first Hogwarts letter was addressed to the Cupboard Under the Stairs. Quite frankly they tried to browbeat me into complacency and I'm simply done with that. I've escaped. That is simply the best word for it. And to answer your question about the additional schooling I read in my Mother's journal that she took all the offered electives as well. I want to make them proud. Both of them. The Dursley's might not have cared for magic but they still cared for my grades and without them bearing down on me I finally feel free to show what I can do Professor. Show everyone. Last year I was regarded as the Heir of Slytherin. What not many people know is that the Sorting Hat offered Slytherin to me. It saw deep inside me the ambitions and dreams born in the darkness of a cupboard. Dreams of dragons and knights, dreams of being whisked away into a new world by my parents. It happened, in a sense. I'm in this magical world full of possibilities because I was lucky enough to have a Wizard and Witch for parents. I owe it to them to be the best damn Wizard I can be and stop holding back for fear of my relative's ire at doing well. And I won't hold back anymore. I won't. Please Professor, let me prove it to you somehow"

Harry let out a breath as he looked up from his butterbeer. That had taken a lot out of him, but he was certainly not expecting the showings of tears in the eyes of his now standing Head of House. She quickly went around the table and swept him up into a hug. He had received many hugs since coming to Hogwarts the first go around. Manly hugs from Neville and Ron, friendly ones from Hermione, Luna, and Ginny. Even motherly ones from Mrs. Weasley. This hug easily matched any hug he had received before and slowly he returned it. After a few moments they separated and the tears in McGonagall's eyes were gone.

Her tone did not betray their presence either, "Well I can hardly say no after all that, Mr. Potter. As far as proving yourself I think that can be arranged. Your letter mentioned you were going to be staying around Hogsmeade for the summer. I thought that meant that the Dursley's were finally opening up and wanted to see a bit of the Magical world, but I guess that's not to be. I'll work on the paperwork to switch your electives and consult with the other professors about having you retake your end of year exams. If you can prove to me that last year's lessons stuck, I will sign the paperwork immediately. Are we in agreement?"

"Yes. Yes, thank you Professor" Harry smiled, and her heart melted even more at the sight of the boy before her. She knew that he would rise to the challenge, and if his track record was any indication, he would surpass her wildest expectations.

They stayed and discussed the various electives a bit further while they enjoyed the cheese and drinks before finally ending the meeting. Harry walked her out and with a jaunty wave from Harry to send McGonagall off he readied himself for phase 2 of his plan.

***Break***

Gringotts looked much the same as it always did. This was where Harry found himself after his promising meeting with McGonagall. If there was one perk with being legally an adult it was that at least the Goblins stopped asking so many questions about his motives. The not so great perk was having to deal with the cost. 5,000 Galleons per Portkey was definitely not a cheap ride though and he was currently buying 20 of them. 100,000 Galleons.

Harry only needed 5 of them but wanted a backup for each as a precautionary step. The other ten were for his plans. He just hoped that it wasn't a waste of money. At the end of the transaction he would have a Portkey capable of sending 10 people to St. Mungo's, the Ministry, Hogsmeade, Diagon Alley, and Ottery St. Catchpole. After a discussion with Tyran it was determined that he could benefit from a fast means of travel during his life as a Gamer and the only solution he had without his Apparition License was Portkeys. Now some might ask why the ruby-haired hero didn't just go get the license but unfortunately the license required complete OWLs so even though he was legally an adult Harry doubted he could take those right now. It was hard enough convincing McGonagall to allow him the extra courses. Maybe next summer but even then, these Portkeys could still come in handy.

Once the paperwork had been filled out and the Portkeys manufactured Harry activated the one for the Ministry, he had a prophecy to listen to and a Will to read at Ministry Records if he was to continue with his current plan.

***Break***

At the Atrium of the Ministry Harry hit his first snag of the day. Apparently today was a press conference for the Ministry to inform the citizens of Magical Britain of the happenings of the season and many people were arriving by Floo, Apparition, and the telephone box entrance. VIPs were arriving via Portkeys. So when the telltale whoosh of a Portkey arrival occurred, Aurors and various paparazzi and journalists were there to greet them for comments on upcoming matters. No one expected The Harry Potter. Certainly not The Harry Potter dressed up in Acromantula Silk robes of the latest fashion, hair changed to the medium auburn red of his late mother, standing tall and proud with no escort, and looking more and more like the Lord that his shining ring signified that he was.

Pandemonium reigned as the Press caught wind of his arrival and as soon as he took a few steps the flashes started.

"Mr. Potter! Please! A comment on your thoughts of the recent changes in regulation for Potion Ingredients"

"Harry! Harry! Over here! What do you think of Wizend Nott's proposal for werewolves to be regulated to Ministry enforced lands for monitoring"

"Harry! A word for your fans! Is it true that you are the Heir of Slytherin and a Parselmouth? And is that a Lord's Ring on your finger?"

Everywhere he turned there was another camera, another eager face waiting for a slip of the tongue or a controversial comment. He almost couldn't breathe they were getting so close and it was all he could do to retain his posture and confidence. So he did the only thing he could think of.

"Pause"… Peaceful silence reigned as Harry took a few deep breaths. He knew he could fidget a bit inside the Pause, so he shook his shoulders and hips to loosen up a bit. The Pause feature would reset him back to the same position anyways so the relief was just temporary. Thinking for a moment on how best to regain control of the situation he pulled up his Character Sheet and looked it over briefly. Sinking all 12 of his loose stat points into Magic, he felt the sudden spike in his energy and knew that his Aura would definitely be showing to a few people now as the +15 from his Perks put him at a firm 35. Putting 24 skill points into Intimidation and choosing his boon, 15 in Diplomacy and choosing a boon, and another 12 into Etiquette and choosing a boon before deciding he might as well boost Flirting to 25 too since social situations seemed to be greeting him at every odd turn. Reviewing the sections he read over the boons one more time.

Diplomacy – 25 (+5)

Boon: Heir to an Empire. As the youngest Lord in recent years people are eager for your attention. +5% Relationship Gains.

Intimidation – 25

Boon: Flux. You may now consciously flare your magic to those around you. Doubles effectiveness of Magic Aura Feat. Cost 2 Magicka per second. Stops Magicka Regeneration.

Etiquette – 25

Boon: Now You're Forked. Your skill in formal settings is improved! Delivers notification prompts in formal dining.

Flirting – 25

Boon: Lost in your eyes. Making direct eye contact will improve your chances of success when engaged in Flirting. -5 to DR rating of target.

Taking another deep breath it was decided that it was time to greet the sheep. Ending the Pause, Harry flared his Magic for a moment and Used Intimidation. The people all around him took a subconscious step back and he began walking and talking, answering questions as fast as they were coming "Hello everyone. I'm not here for the press conference, I only recently came into my Inheritance and I am on my way to Ministry Records. Yes, I am a Parselmouth, I believe the skill was a result of my defeat of Voldemort as a baby as that is the only route that makes sense. To the best of my knowledge I am not related to Slytherin though it is as possible as anyone else with a line as long as the Potters. I do not intend to hold my seat in the Wizengamot at the moment as I am in school but may hire a representative who will at least sit the sessions so that I may stay appraised of happenings as a Lord. I am emancipated now and have multiple plans lined up for my future. I am not currently in a relationship. Ah, and here is my lift. Thank you all and have a great day"

Harry made it to the end of the Atrium finally. The Lord Potter had started to flare his magic again about halfway through the Atrium to prevent any further blocking of his path and actually made pretty good time. Keeping his answers short and concise he hoped that nothing was misconstrued or twisted but knew that overall the questions were answered better than anything Rita Skeeter would have thrown at him.

This morning's editions of Teen Witch Weekly had painted Harry in a good light, catching him as he walked out of Gringott's with a pretty good angle. The Daily Prophet wasn't quite as good with the Chamber fiasco having just occurred but the speculation wasn't so much of him being Dark as what was he doing at the Bank unattended. Today one could expect another front page of the impromptu interview that just happened and the task of how to address this made it to the top of the mental to-do list.

Luckily with all the hubbub in the Atrium the rest of the Ministry was relatively quiet and quick progress was made to Ministry Records. There he asked the middle-aged clerk to retrieve a few folders for him. He knew what was in them from a previous trip in his last life but wanted the pretense of his just finding out to fuel the next few steps of his plan. Tucking copies of the documents into his Inventory Harry made his way back to the Atrium, at least he knew what to expect this time and could use it to his advantage. The press conference was in full swing and the Boy-Who-Lived slipped through the crowd surprisingly easy and managed to get a spot in the front of the crowd.

Above him on a conjured stage and in front of a golden podium was Cornelius Fudge, green bowler hat and all, flanked by Aurors and joined by the various Department Heads. Mr. Weasley spotted Harry and waved slightly which Harry returned with a smile and a wave. This unfortunately, or fortunately in Harry's mind, made Fudge's eyes flick towards him and light up. Stopping his explanation of various plans for this year's taxes Fudge shushed the crowd.

"Sorry, sorry everyone. I know you're all very interested in the budget for the season" Fudge stated sarcastically and prompted a few chuckles from the crowd "I simply could not ignore the dashing young man in the front of the crowd today. I saw your entrance Mr. Potter and I know the public is simply dying for a few words from our newest Lord of the Wizengamot"

Cringing slightly and thankful that he didn't blush easily with his Charisma score, Harry knew that to ignore the eager and expectant eyes that were now all turned towards him would only worsen the situation. Making his way up the stairs he stopped and greeted Mr. Fudge who had stepped away from the podium to shake his hand. He also took a few steps back and shook Mr. Weasley's hand as well with a wink that made the worried look in the man's eyes disappear.

Stepping up to the podium, he shocked the crowd by flicking his wand out of the holster he bought earlier this morning and casting Sonorous.

"Good morning everyone. I apologize that my entrance was so hectic. I expected this crowd about as much as this crowd expected me" this got a few more chuckles than Fudge's earlier budget comment and Harry grinned at the crowd "I won't keep you all long, that is our esteemed Minister's privilege" again a few chuckles made it through the crowd "But to answer a few of the questions I was asked on my way to Records I am indeed now Lord Potter. There was a bit of a mix-up at Gringotts and omitting the boring details I am now emancipated. I came to Records today to simply receive the rest of my listings of holdings and am getting my living arrangements settled as we speak. If our Minister will permit me a few more minutes of your time?"

At this Harry turned to the Minister in question who looked gleeful to be able to 'permit' the public to continue speaking to one of the nation's heroes and a nod was given "Perfect. Now I know I have been in the Wizarding World now for a couple years and have come to terms with my fame. For those who do not understand I in no way enjoy being praised for basically surviving the night that my parent's were murdered" Harry let silence ring throughout the Atrium as he sternly stared across the crowd. Let not one of them think for a moment that he was an attention-seeker.

"However I am a proud citizen of Magical Britain. I know that I hold a responsibility to you all, if not as the Boy-Who-Lived then certainly as a Lord in our governing body. It is my intent to live up to that responsibility fully and fill the shoes that my Grandfather Fleamont Potter last held as Lord of my House. Since our Minister has so graciously given up his time with you all to allow me to speak it seems only fair that I answer a few questions"

Gesturing to a now ravenous flock of journalists, he indicated a young reporter from the Prophet "Lord Potter" at that he held up his hand and after a firm request to regard him simply as Harry or Mr. Potter as he was still in school the young and now blushing female reporter began again "Harry. What circumstances led to your emancipation?"

Well, they certainly don't waste time Harry thought before he formed an answer "Up until the end of term I did not quite know what the name of Potter meant. I received notice from Gringotts about a matter regarding my holdings and through there discovered the extent of my family's previous presence in Magical Britain of which I had known very little. After a few inquiries with a representative I discovered that I was eligible for my inheritance. Being that I was only a few years from time to receive it normally I felt that stepping into the shoes and learning what I need to know before I graduate Hogwarts was the most beneficial for the future of my House. Next question"

Gesturing this time at an older gentleman with a Gilded Galleon's badge, who asked "Harry, if I may, what sort of plans do you have for your business holdings? Many of which have suffered during the extended period of no management"

"I know that many of the Potter holdings have suffered in the time that my Father was in school and then was forced into hiding by the War. Potter Manor was destroyed in my Father's 6th Year and he was unable to receive his Lordship at the time due to grief. I will be thoroughly reviewing my holdings with a well credited accounting firm and intend to restructure many of the businesses to better represent the Potter name" Luckily that was a quick and easy one for Harry and he selected an even older fellow representing The Sonorous Sorcerer which he knew was international news.

"Do you currently have any plans with your new freedom, Mr. Potter?" was the short and broad question and Harry regarded the man with a serious eye.

"As there is currently a criminal on the loose looking to kill me, no comment" He knew that Sirius wasn't actually out to kill him, but the public eye didn't need to be apprised of where he was going. This time he went with a safe choice and gestured to a Teen Witch Weekly representative who looked to have rushed here once news of his arrival at the Ministry had reached the gossip magazine.

"Not much is currently known about you, Mr. Potter beyond your name and your fame. Do you have any plans for interviews in future? I know our interested readers would love to find out more about such a dashing young Lord" the young and pretty brunette had pushed her way to the front of the crowd but asked the question without a hint of her struggle

"If any interested parties will send me a letter, I'm sure an interview or two could be arranged. Last question before I take my leave" at this Harry decided to prompt a representative from The Hogwarts Herald whom he recognized vaguely as a Hufflepuff 5th year. Or 6th now, he thought.

"Is it true that you found the Chamber of Secrets?" Silence held the Atrium as the question was asked and knowing that there was no way around it Harry sighed heavily and held back from glancing at Mr. Weasley who had gasped behind him. It would take a bit of truth bending to protect the Weasleys from any fallout.

"Yes, I have found the fabled Chamber of Secrets. It is accessible only to Parselmouths which is where the tripe about only Heirs of Slytherin being able to open it came from. A Dark Artifact from Voldemort's time had made its way into the school and through it the Monster had attacked a few of the students including my best friend Hermione Granger. Unfortunately the lack of a definitive type of creature causing the petrifications did not help the Professors discover the cause. Hermione knew of my talent, and that I recently heard a very large snake once before one of the attacks. This led her to the Library on the night of her attack where she was able to find out evidence that Slytherin's Monster might actually be a Basilisk. Thanks to my ability as a Parselmouth I was able to find the entrance and engaged our Defense teacher Professor Lockhart to defeat the Basilisk whose identity had been discovered by Hermione Granger just before her petrification. Unfortunately the man was a coward. Oh don't gasp at that, let me finish. My best friend Ron Weasley and I led the extremely reluctant man to the entrance where Lockhart revealed his intention to throw us in the Chamber and flee the school. I was able to disarm him, but he stole my friend's wand and intended to Obliviate us which was apparently the only spell he can perform outside of Hair Styling and Teeth Brightening Charms. Thankfully the wand had recently suffered from a break and the instability of it caused the spell to backfire which is why Lockhart now resides in St. Mungo's. Knowing that we didn't have time to get another teacher we decided to go into the Chamber together as any Gryffindor would have done. There was a small cave-in during which time where Ron and I were separated. I was trapped inside the Chamber and had no choice but to continue. There was another student there. The most recent victim of the Dark Artifact, and after the victim spoke Parseltongue and summoned the Monster from the depths of the Chamber the Monster was truly revealed to be a Basilisk. A very old and large one. With the help of Fawkes who had arrived by tracking the location of the feather in my wand, which had come from that same Phoenix, we were able to blind the beast. The Sorting Hat that Fawkes had grabbed held the Sword of Gryffindor inside and I was able to retrieve this weapon and use it to defeat the Basilisk. Again with Fawkes' help I was able to get back through the caved in area and bring the affected student to the Headmaster's Office. That was the end of it"

The crowd was silent as Harry stepped away from the podium, so the yelled accusation was able to reach the stage.

"And how do we know you're not actually the Heir of Slytherin and that story was just to cover your ass?" A voice sounded from the rear of the Atrium.

"I can provide proof, if you'd like" Harry said this to the man, but the interest was picked up by the crowd. Harry indicated to the Aurors that he would be drawing his wand.

With his mind he 'equipped' the Sword of Gryffindor from his Hotbar into his left hand so that it looked like a Switching Spell to the crowd and it materialized in his now raised left hand. In his right, carefully held with a Dragonhide glove that had also appeared, was a large... tooth. A fang from the Basilisk that made the crowd ooo and aww. If that tooth was an indication of the creature's true size then Harry's accomplishment was all the more impressive. Waiting for a moment he willed both items back into his Hotbar and stepped towards Fudge.

"Thank you for your time Minister. I'll let you get back to it." Harry shook the shocked Minister's hand and stopped on his way off the stage to shake Mr. Weasley's hand again as well. The man pulled him into a hug.

"Thank you Harry" was all the Weasley patriarch whispered as they separated. Making his way down the steps the crowd split in front of him like a ship through sea.

Before he was able to reach the Portkey location, the Minister's voice rang out across the Atrium "Thank you for that story, Mr. Potter, it was very enlightening to a worrying situation at Hogwarts. I would like to convene the Wizengamot soon to offer you an Order of Merlin for your service"

Harry took a few more steps to the Portkey area before turning and with the Sonorous still active responded "Any Order of Merlin funds should be extended to the victims of a failed Dark Lord's pathetic Artifact. I would also not accept an Order of Merlin of any Class that Ron Weasley did not receive as well. He convinced me to continue on in that Chamber after having entered it with the full intent of facing whatever beast was in there. He is every bit the Gryffindor that I am" then he activated his Portkey.

***Break***

Harry appeared in Diagon Alley and immediately strode to the Leaky Cauldron. Unfortunately after the impromptu press release and the public retelling of the Chamber story Harry knew that he would be hounded by the press, or worse, if he stayed in the Alley. Making his way over to Tom he tipped the man 15 Galleons and thanked him for the accommodations before making his way upstairs. Slipping the trunks and various items he had acquired during his brief time in the Alley into his Inventory he made his way downstairs and back towards the Portkey location of the Alley. Right at the entrance of the Alley Harry saw them. Four men in black robes and silver masks. Death Eaters.

"Pause. Tyran, how does Combat work in the game?" Harry quickly asked his Guide.

"Combat is essentially the same as your previous life. The only difference is that your previous knowledge has no sway on what spells you can cast. That is determined by your Skill level of the school of magic of the spell. Accuracy is determined by your Dexterity and Magic stat and multiplied by the Skill level of the school of spell and multiplied by your Ambient Luck stat. Dodging is a combination of your Dexterity and Perception and Ambient Luck stats. Physical Defense is Strength and Constitution and Ambient Luck. Mental Defense is Intelligence and Wisdom and Ambient Luck." The Construct helpfully spelled out.

"Ambient Luck stat?" Harry knew that his perk Fated Luck and disadvantage Chosen One had mentioned Luck but had not seen the stat on his list now that he thought about it. He vaguely remembered his luck being 31 when he saw the stats in Options in the Center.

"Yes. Luck is a very powerful stat and as such must be unlocked in some fashion before it can be modified. Currently it is considered Ambient or Passive depending on which game terms you would like to use" Tyran explained.

"Fine. Is my stat at least decent?" Harry asked, knowing he would probably need every last drop of luck in the coming battle.

"Extremely, for your level. But do remember that Fate is a fickle bitch" Tyran chuckled in that same, now ominous, way of multiple chuckles overlapping. Harry grumbled internally for a moment before ending the Pause.

_Combat Started!_

They started off easily, shooting some basic stunners that Harry was able to dodge as he stepped back into the door of the semi-crowded tavern.

"Everyone, get down!" He yelled as the men quickly followed him inside. Dodging another stunner he jumped behind a table and flipped it before attempting to Banish it at the group.

_Spell failed. Charms Skill too low._

Cursing his luck he instead shot the table with a Ventus spell that luckily fell within his skill range. It achieved basically the same result as the missile smashed into the legs of 2 of the men sending them toppling. He hit one with a Petrificus Totalus and threw a nearby bottle into the path of a Finite. Hitting the immobilized man with an Expelliarmus he missed the follow-up Diffindo on the airborne wand but was able to stomp on it after he rolled out of the way of a Curse.

Seeing another set of stunners on their way which he recognized as a simple Petrificus and an Incarcerous, stunners being an inclusive term of any non-lethal immobilization spell, Harry threw a Protego up and flared his magic for the extra spell protection.

_Defensive Spells skill increased by 1! It is now 25! 1 Skill Boon available._

Harry jumped behind a booth and willed the game to Pause again, praying there wasn't Fiendfyre or some other bullshit on its way towards him but being unable to check. Quickly pulling up his Character Sheet he read over the available Boons and chose one most applicable to his situation. He also saw that his Transfigurations, Charms, and Potions skill were available for Boons as well and did the same with those. Switching to his Inventory, he skilled over to his Crafting Menu and saw that his ingredients he had purchased earlier highlighted a few Potions he could make. Quickly queuing 2 of them and designating them to auto-fill into his Hotbar he took a deep breath and ended the Pause.

Rolling to his right, he saw the Bombarda smash into the booth and thanked his quick reflexes as he shot a few spells towards the men and dashed up the stairs behind him. Making it to the top he spun around in time to see an Avada Kedavra leave the tip of the lead Death Eater's wand. Grabbing the handle of the door to his left Harry swung the door open and let it intercept the spell. A few shards of the now useless door scratched his face as he turned and dashed further down the hall.

_-3 HP. Ouch!_

_Potion Complete!_

Turning on the spot and dropping to a crouch Harry willed the Potion into his hand and chucked it back the way he had come. It smashed into the face of the lead Death Eater as the robed man crested the top of the stairs and the Boiling Tincture caused the man's mask to steam as the Potion took effect. This one was meant to provide heat to a Potion and was intended as an additive in the brewing process of some advanced Potions.

_Potion Complete! Potions Skill increased by 1. It is now 27!_

Throwing the same potion into the group Harry used an Aquamenti Spell and could have cheered as the Potion made the magical liquid boiling hot. The now boiling stream of water washed over 2 of the men and they fell to the floor screaming as the burning took place. Not waiting any longer Harry dashed further down the hall before turning into one of the rooms that overlooked a side street of the Alley. Hitting the window with an Alohomora he was able to wrench it open and straddle the sill before the door burst open again as the other 2 Death Eaters entered the room. Giving them a jaunty wave Harry rolled out of the window and willed his Nimbus into his hand. Quickly mounting the broom he was able to alight on the street below easily and he put the broom away. Glancing up he saw the Death Eaters looking out of the window at him but didn't give them a chance to react as he dashed back into the Alley's main street and over to the Portkey area.

As soon as he crossed the threshold Harry Portkeyed to the Ministry and cast Sonorous to yell, "DEATH EATERS IN DIAGON ALLEY!" before Portkeying back. Permanent Portkeys were simply the best.

Looking back towards the Leaky Cauldron he saw the 2 uninjured Death Eaters with their wounded allies in tow entering the Alley.

"Hello idiots. Didn't expect the Boy-Who-Lived to be so troublesome did you?" He called out, causing their heads to jerk to his direction. Harry had stepped away from the Portkey area before he did this to not alert them to what he hoped was impending Auror backup.

Thankfully they really were idiots as the 3 with wands still intact began firing spells at him. He flared his magic and threw up a Protego Maxima courtesy of his new Defensive Spells Boon. Watching as 8 spells smashed into it, he had to drop the spell as his Magicka took a severe dip.

_Defensive Spells increased by 1. It is now 26!_

Rolling out of the way of the next couple of spells Harry kept glancing towards the Portkey area. During one of the glances he missed a spell being cast at him but luckily was able to flare his magic just before impact.

_Bonebreaker Curse received. 41 damage, mitigated by Magical Aura. -31 HP. Ouch!_

Seeing that his HP was now at 73, Harry willed the Healing Potion be used from his Hotbar and sighed in relief as his HP jumped back up to 98. Looks like Healing Potions recovered 25 health. He idly wondered if his Potions Skill would increase that but was dashed out of his thoughts as he rolled out of the way of another spell and cursed as his leg gave out beneath him. Healing Potions did not fix broken bones. Noted.

Luckily before the Death Eaters could capitalize, a full squad of Aurors Apparrated in and the fight was quickly over as the small group was quickly overwhelmed.

_Combat Complete! +350 Exp._

_Loot: Wand Remnants, +5 Galleons, +14 Sickles._

Harry Transfigured a piece of a vendor cart's umbrella into a crutch, and limped over to a nearby bench as he watched the Aurors systematically disarm and immobilize the Death Eaters. Gingerly he lifted the leg onto the bench and got comfortable. Soon enough an Auror broke off from the proceedings. He recognized the shock of pink hair and smiled as Auror Trainee Tonks made her way over.

The cute young Auror quickly saw that he was injured and motioned for a Healer to make their way over after assessing nearby shoppers, as a few of them had been clipped in the spell crossfire.

"We are taking statements now, Mr. Potter, I appreciate you hanging around for us to collect yours" Tonks started.

"Oh you know me, just hanging around" Harry quipped as he indicated his broken leg "Wouldn't have done me much good to try and escape anyways"

"You're taking a broken leg reasonably well. Quidditch?" She asked and sat on bench beside him. He nodded and she continued "We're trying to build a picture of what happened. Do you know anything that might have prompted the attack?"

"Well it probably had something to do with me basically revealing my status as a 12-year-old Lord who was currently between residences, in front of a very large crowd, and then saying Gryffindors rule and Slytherins drool while waving around a magical sword. Then insulting Voldemort right before I left" Harry said as he shifted a little to relieve the tension on his leg.

"Blimey. Yeah that would probably do it. Luckily you were able to escape. Do you know who burned 2 of the perpetrators? They were positive for potion residue but it seemed to have been washed off" Tonks asked and a Quotes Quill was placed onto the parchment she took from her robes.

"That was me. I threw a couple Boiling Tinctures on them before hitting them with an Aquamenti. I don't know many offensive spells at the moment so I did what I could. Thankfully I had a couple on hand" the Healer joined them and had Harry's leg set and splinted in short order. He grit his teeth as the bone snapped into place.

_-2 HP. Ouch!_

Healing methods shouldn't wound me! Harry thought with a vengeance and could practically see Tyran shrugging in his mind.

"Quick thinking. Not many people would have used those potions like that" Tonks regarded him with an approving look to which he just shrugged, locked eyes with her, and winked with a cheeky grin. He laughed as she blushed. Thank you, Flirting Boon. She rolled her eyes "Mind telling me what you know?

"Alright. And I'll stop teasing you Auror…" Harry lead her into her name.

"Auror Trainee Tonks. I was brought over for canvassing" she said with a small smile. The boy was cute, but still a boy. And a cheeky one at that.

"Tonks then. I Portkeyed into the Alley, was planning on grabbing my stuff from my room at the Leaky because, as I said, I managed to tweak the nerves of Voldemort sympathizers at the Ministry press conference. When I came back down to Portkey away the Death Eaters were there. I went back into the Leaky and warned the patrons. Managed to duck and dodge my way upstairs. Blocked an Avada with a door. Threw the tinctures on them as they came up the stairs and blasted them. Slipped into a room overlooking a side street and used my broom to get to the street below and beat them to the Portkey area. Portkeyed to the Ministry to warn the Aurors and came back so that the bastards would keep aiming for me instead of any innocent bystanders and bought time for the Aurors to arrive. Caught a Bonebreaker to the leg shortly after cause my luck finally ran out. Better a Bonebreaker than something worse though, I guess" Harry stated all of this plainly but enjoyed watching Tonks' eyes get steadily bigger as his story was told. She let out a low whistle when he was done.

"Wow. Simply wow. A 12-year-old was able to successfully fend off four Death Eaters. Boy-Who-Lived or not that is impressive work. Try to have a bit more self interest in the future and Portkey to safety sooner but I can understand why you acted the way you did. Thank you, Mr. Potter, I'll report this to my superiors" Tonks stood up and pocketed her Quotes Quill, the much more honest version of the Quick-Quotes Quill that Harry remembered Rita Skeeter favoring.

"Anytime Nymphadora" Harry said to her shocked face as he grinned charmingly at her while he put the crutch under his arm and stood up. It didn't work though, and she smacked his other arm. Her eyes grew huge and she looked worried for a moment before Harry laughed loudly.

_-1 HP. Ouch!_

Shut up game Harry thought. He smiled at the taller woman to cover up his brief lapse in attention.

_HP Notifications can be modified in the Settings Menu. You shut up._

Blinking away his surprise at the response Harry turned to the pink-haired woman "I recognized you just there at the end. I think you were a 7th year during my 1st. I remember many smacking sounds coming from the table behind me during breakfasts" he laughed again "I simply couldn't resist poking some more fun at a beautiful woman"

_Flirting skill increased by 1. It is now 26!_

Leaving the now thoroughly blushing woman behind Harry limped over to the Portkey area with no trouble and whispered "Hoggy Warty" letting his original Portkey whisk him away. The hook-behind-the-navel spinning caused his leg to scream in protest. He also briefly heard Kijani complain about the constant spinning as he left for Hogsmeade.

-Fin-

A/N: WOW. 8000+ words. Guess you all deserve that after I made you wait a week for the chapter. I realized I was using way too many he, his, hims and such so I tried to branch out a bit with the reiteration of Harry and letting you all know who the hell I was talking about. Kijani made a minor appearance at the end. I promise he will come into play in the future. Hedwig was on her way back from a letter delivery but got confused as shit by his constant Portkeys today and opted to go mouse hunting until her master settled down for the night.

Hope you all liked the chapter! Let me know what you thought of the shift in style because I am very happy with how the chapter turned out.

Thank you all.

Until next time!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Hello again everyone! I took another look at the reviews and saw that I missed one so I will include my response in this chapter.

SkylerHollow mentioned that there was a timeline error in that the Weasleys wouldn't have gone to Egypt quite yet. He is correct. The photo that prompted Sirius to escape was the Weasleys in front of the Pyramids. In my story just to prevent any mix-up the prompt will be simply a family photo that was released to the Daily Prophet about a week before end of term. Sirius escaped about 2 days before end of term. This should line up the timelines a little smoother and I'll try to be more attentive in the future. Thank you, Skyler for your support!

I started writing this chapter immediately upon submitting Chapter 4 to FFnet, so if any questions are not answered in this chapter I will address them in the footnote.

On we go.

Updated: Removed the Hermione equation for the moment, looking to focus more on Harry's growth and his interactions with Hagrid as those have been very fun to write. Also cleaned up some stuff.

***Break***

Chapter 5: Hogsmeade, Hogwarts, Hagrid, and Help

Hogwarts reigned high over the skyline as Harry took in the fresh Scottish air. The wind drifted through the quaint village of Hogsmeade and Harry decided to limp his way over to the Three Broomsticks. Pushing open the door he saw few patrons enjoying the tavern's fare as it was only around 4:30 in the afternoon. He knew the place would get a little more crowded as the village only had around 75 residents, many of whom enjoyed Rosmerta's cooking instead of their own. He selected a seat at the bar as the height of the stool allowed his sore leg to rest. Maybe Harry could get Pomfrey to spot him some Skele-Gro for a faster heal. Checking his Crafting Menu he saw that the potion was a good bit above his skill level at the moment.

With a mental grunt, he picked up a menu and decided on some beef stew, breadroll, and a nice cold pumpkin juice. Rosmerta smiled warmly at him at first but was shocked when she recognized who it was that was sitting at her bar.

"Well, I'll be damned. Didn't expect to see you quite so soon Mr. Potter. You're looking a little rough around the edges. Run into a bit of trouble?" the kindly tavernkeep asked, a bit of concern tinting her tone.

Harry smiled at her. In his past life Rosmerta was always incredibly nice, to him as well as everyone else, and there was a good reason that her pub maintained a better reputation and turnout that old Aberforth's did down the road. She was a handsome woman of just above middle age, still maintaining an attractive figure and smooth face with just a hint of crow's feet and laugh lines on her face. Her cooking was damn fine too as Harry could attest. The pub's stews, roasts, and home-brewed ales were all top-notch.

"Ah, I'm fine. I don't run into trouble so much as it slams into me. Interrupted a press conference at the Ministry and had a run-in with some Death Eaters at Diagon. Normal day" Harry chuckled at her horrified expression "I promise its not as bad as all that. You'll probably see it in the morning papers though. Could I grab a bit of stew, bread, and a pumpkin juice though? I'm famished"

"Of course, dearie. Let me whip that up for you and you can tell me all about what sounds like a crazy day" She said as she bustled off to the kitchen, whipping her wand to and fro to service requests for refills and fresh bottles from the patrons further down the bar "Better pay for that Stan!" she yelled at a man who resembled Mr. Filch at the other end of the bar.

A few minutes later she came back with a steaming bowl of stew and oven-fresh bread. She floated over a pitcher of pumpkin juice and poured some into a glass that she slid over to him "Okay now what's all this nonsense about Death Eaters and press conferences?"

Harry held off from speaking to dunk a large chunk of bread into the broth of the stew and nearly moaned as he took a bite. Wiping his face with a napkin he replied "I went to the Ministry today to go over the rest of my Inheritance. I was recently emancipated you see" he flashed his ring which she merely glanced at, bless the woman for her ability to ignore hoity toity affairs "The Minister saw me passing through as he was addressing the press and called me up to the stage. I held a bit of an interview for a moment to say hello and as I was leaving might have insulted Voldemort"

There was a gasp down the bar that got ignored "When I got back to the Alley where I was staying at there were 4 Death Eaters fully geared ready to receive me. Managed to keep them busy long enough for the Aurors to come but caught a Bonebreaker to my shin for my troubles. No one else was seriously injured so it's a good end to an eventful day I'd say"

With the over-simplified explanation of his day complete Harry occupied himself with getting a few more bites in as the woman responded "I'd wager a fair bit of luck went into all that, but good to know tragedy was avoided. Scary to know that some people still hold to those beliefs though"

Harry nodded and chewed for a moment on a juicy bit of meat he found in the broth "Quick side-note this stew is absolutely wonderful. But yes there was more than a bit of luck involved. If there's one thing I have besides dashing good looks, a wealthy inheritance, great flying skills, amazing fighting skills, a beautiful woman giving me food… well actually I guess all of that is just sheer luck isn't it?"

Rosmerta chuckled at him, she got flirted with on a daily basis she was used to much more overt descriptions of herself "I guess it could be, at that. Now you finish that stew up and I'll see about getting you a slice of some fresh apple pie I have in the back. Stan looks like his arm is about to fly off the way he's waving at me. I'll be right back dear"

Harry appreciated the sway of her hips as she made her way down the bar to address Stan's dying need for another beer. Puberty = Truck was really living up to its description he thought. Deciding he could do nothing about it he quickly finished off the rest of the stew and savored the cool pumpkin juice as he studied the patrons at the bar. A few more had trickled in but it seemed like most of them were content to ignore him in favor of their chosen drink or food.

Suddenly the door slammed open in the way that only Hagrid could unintentionally do. The half-giant thundered into the room with the grace of a boulder rolling down a hill.

"Good Af'ernoon Rosie. Hello Stan, Gene, Frank. No' been up to any trouble I hope?" Hagrid greeted what Harry guessed were a few regulars as he strolled up to the bar. Not missing a beat, Rosmerta enlarged and reinforced the stool next to Harry but it still groaned slightly under the large man's weight.

Three of the same bowls Harry just finished slipped out of the back and through the air in front of the groundskeeper and the man dug in with a vengeance. 2 bowls and 3 slices of bread later Hagrid glanced over at Harry just in time to catch the young boy's expectant grin. This unfortunately led to a coughing fit and a firm request for the same story Harry had just told Rosmerta.

"Emancipated. Well I'll be damned. Bet yer glad to be rid of tha' Vernon fella though. Seemed like a right twit 'e did" Hagrid said as he chomped through the last of his meal. With a loud belch and a request for a large butterbeer Hagrid turned his body towards Harry and rested a large arm on the bar.

"Still, Its good ta see ya, 'Arry" Hagrid smiled at him and reached out to ruffle his hair, this jostled his leg and damn near knocked him off the seat and broke his neck but Harry couldn't help but smile back at the affable man that had introduced him to the Wizarding World. First real friend indeed.

"It's good to see you too Hagrid. I'll be staying in the area for the rest of summer most likely, unless I go to visit Hermione. Ron's already left for Egypt with his family to go see Bill. So I'll be seeing a lot of you I'm guessing?" Harry asked as the smell of freshly baked apples reached his nose just before a slice of pie appeared in front of him. He caught a glimpse of Rosmerta's smile as she glided through her patrons with practiced ease just as the cinnamon smell caught up to him and he couldn't resist a big bite of the pie. It was divine.

"Prolly. I come here pretty often 'less I'm tendin' to the Forest or catch a juicy doe on my rounds. You'll have to come visit Fang, I'm sure the mangy mutt would love a newer face comin' roun'" Hagrid ordered half of a pie to himself and they both settled in to enjoy their drinks and dessert. Sporting matching bulging bellies the two moved away from the bar and settled at a table nearby.

"You mean I can go onto the grounds even though it's summer? I didn't expect that" Harry said.

"Well o' course you can. I'm the Keeper of the Keys ya know. Mos' of the other Professors tend ta head home for the summer themselves. Even Albus is usually away mos' days. Ain' no rules about students not being on school grounds durin' the summer" the large man said and Rosmerta dropped off another mug of beer for the giant much to his appreciation. Seems Harry wasn't the only one who enjoyed the bartender's backside either and Harry hit him with a knowing look and a smirk as Hagrid's attention came back to him.

"Oh shut up, you" was all Hagrid said on the matter and they both laughed.

***Break***

Harry slid his mother's trunk into the corner of the rental home he had secured for himself in the village. Seemed a family was more than happy to rent him the home for the Summer as they were away visiting family in Ireland. He would have to thank Rosmerta for arranging it. Opting for a bedroll and pillow in front of the fireplace instead of sleeping in a stranger's bed, Harry chose to Rest until 4 AM as he had a bit of exploring to do on his final day of the Tutorial.

Waking up, Harry noticed two things. One, his puberty was raging at him as only a morning could. Two, his leg had no pain. Indeed upon standing up he noticed that he could easily bounce on his previously injured leg. It had been muted previously which is why he could function as well as he did with a freshly broken leg, but this was showing signs of complete healing. Checking his Character Sheet he saw that his previous status of (Broken Leg) was gone from the effects list too.

"Tyran?" Harry asked the Construct.

"Resting, even the minimum of 1 hour will completely heal any Health, Magicka, Stamina, or broken bones you currently suffer from. Certain Curses and spell damage cannot be overcome this way, but standard broken bones are easy for the game's functionality to overcome" was the simple explanation. Harry's grin was immense as he thought about the strength of that ability.

Soon he was freshly showered and opted for a pair of jeans and a sleeveless shirt under some open robes. Not stylish by any means but he intended to go exploring today. With his hair though Harry went with a simple slicked back look which irked him a bit, but he knew he pulled it off better anyways. Casting a few hair trimming spells he knew from his previous life the young man trimmed off the few hairs that were beginning to show on his face and elsewhere. Puberty = Truck was living up to its name if he went from no hair to needed trimming charms in just a couple days. The hope was that he would be through the awkward voice cracking stage before term began.

Finally, he shifted around his Hotbar and added a couple Potions just in case. A few Healing Potions and Salves were the welcome addition to his preparations. First Harry made his way to the village's bookstore as he wanted to browse a few compendiums on local flora and fauna in case he ran into anything useful, then he was going to raid Zonko's as he knew that some of their products were very useful if he ran into something he needed to distract.

Preparations completed the young Lord went to Honeyduke's and loaded up on sweets to keep in his Inventory as he had no worries of rotting teeth or weight gain. Tyran had helpfully explained that anything kept in his Inventory would come out the same as it was put in. He had tested this with a lit candle vs. an unlit one and was excited to see that it was true. Not sure what he would do with the information Harry still filed it away for future reference. Slipping between the houses of Hogsmeade and heading towards the path into the forest his day had fully begun.

***Break***

Birds chirped overhead, leaves rustled overhead, and Harry struggle mightily in the fight to get enough air into his abused lungs. Spiders were all around him, large and small, and Kijani hissed in his ear as Harry sprinted through the brush. In hindsight he should have realized something like this would happen. It always happened.

-Flashback-

Harry smiled as he made his way into the Forbidden Forest. An aptly named stretch of woodland that he had probably spent more time in than most students. Already his Inventory had a few extra bits of Potion Materials as the underbrush was practically glowing in his eyes. Stopping again he took the small shears he had brought along and Clipped another bush.

_Clipping skill increased by 1. It is now 7!_

After only 2 plants he had received the first notification, according to Tyran he had been close to the threshold of acquiring the skill. 2 years in Herbology was good for that it seemed even if they typically left the Harvesting to upper years. And he had discovered early on that as his skill grew so did his yield. Already Harry was getting more trimmings from some of these plants than he would have in his previous life and couldn't wait to get a few Boons on his Sheet.

_New Plant Type discovered! Fenley Fern! +20 Exp._

_Herbology Skill increased. It is now 25! 1 Skill Boon available._

That was the other reason Harry was moving through the area so quickly without succumbing to the urge to Clip everything in sight. As he discovered new plant types they would glow in his eyes thanks to his newest Boon and appear on the Mini-Map at the edge of his vision that until now he hadn't really needed. Though it did help when he was running from the Death Eaters in Diagon.

Currently he was strolling through the forest and Clipping plants that weren't glowing but after realizing that just about every plant in the magical Forest was indeed magical he opened his Settings Menu for the first time. Tweaking the way his HUD worked Harry realized he could change Notifications, Mini-Map size and orientation, and a slue of other useful features. He now permanently knew where North was which meant he never needed another Point Me spell. He could also use his knowledge of Potion Materials and sort the flora and fauna that would appear on his Mini-Map to reflect that. Snape would die of jealousy if he knew of this ability as Harry collected another rare sample of plant. 8 more and he could Craft a rather useful Magicka Potion that was like a Health Potion for Magicka, and Harry was getting about 3 usable samples per plant.

In his excitement Harry was not paying attention to where he was going and the only warning he got that he had delved too far into the forest was the click-clack of large pincers above him.

_Combat Started!_

Rolling by instinct and managing to Dodge out of the way, Harry looked up and saw 3 Acromantula spiders bearing down on him. Cursing his stupidity, he fired off an Incendio spell but bit back a groan as his Skill was too low in Charms. Utilizing his Hotbar he spit onto the Wet-Start Filibuster Firework and threw it under him as he rolled away from another strike.

The Firework lit up beneath the spider and the screech that the creature let out as the Fountain firework burned its thorax was well worth it. Harry took off back towards the path he could still see on his Mini-Map and drew the Sword of Griffindor with his left hand. Luckily he had turned on the display that showed active enemies, despite not really understanding what that meant. Now Harry knew that the feature allowed him to track enemies that were in combat with him. This was how he realized he was running straight into another 2 spiders.

"Massster. Turn East" Kijani hissed from hood of his jacket. Harry had moved the snake up there earlier and had been talking to the young Boomslang just before the attack. He felt the snake slide around his neck and slither down to one of the pockets linked to his Inventory. Sure enough Kijani appeared on the slot of his Hotbar that was designated for him. When Harry had asked about what it was like in there Kijani said it was peaceful and dark and quiet, no jostling or anything really hurt the snake.

Not bothering to question his snake Harry barreled through a patch of thorns and half-noticed that though he saw his Health Bar move a sliver there was no Notification this time of the minor wound. Kijani slithered his little green head out of the pocket and guided Harry for a few more turns, not really explaining himself but that didn't bother Harry as even though he saw that there was still quite a few spiders and webs around Harry the area was beginning to thin out and he had avoided any more packs of spiders, just having the 8 or so that were now chasing him from the trees above.

"Jump!" hissed the snake and Harry obeyed, clearing the small creek just on the other side of the brush that he had been about to go through. That would have hurt had Harry fallen in it.

_Acrobatics Skill increased. It is now level 19!_

Ignoring the notification Harry rolled as he hit the other side and leapt to his feet again without breaking stride "Turn South, I smell it!" Kijani hissed again and Harry smoothly turned again but a rock slid on the dirt as his foot settled on it and he was sent tumbling through the brush. He lost the lead that the creek's break in the trees had given him while he struggled back up to his feet and started sprinting again. Kijani's head poked out from his pocket again and flicked out the small red tongue.

-End Flashback-

"Straight ahead, the Great One's smell is still fresh in this area!" Harry heard over the birds beginning to chirp as the area finally lost the sense of doom and gloom that came with a certain depth into the Forest. Realizing now that the Boomslang was guiding him to an old trail of the Basilisks Harry whipped his head left and right a few times before he saw it. A large grate, half covered by ivy and rust, with a larger creek coming from it.

"OPEN!" Harry yell-hissed into the air and thanked the gods that Slytherin didn't bother with more complicated passwords. The grate screeched in protest and Harry sloshed through the opening and hissed it close behind him. Just in time too Harry thought when he heard a loud clang as the nearest spider had slammed into the grate. Luckily it held under the abuse and Harry took a brief moment to breathe deep gulps of air. The young boy turned to the spider, seeing that it and the 7 behind it were still trying to get through the grate. He smiled and walked up still breathing heavily, easily stabbing the Sword of Gryffindor into the large arachnid.

Morbid fascination occurred as the Basilisk Venom infused into the Goblin Steel took effect and the Arachnid screeched as the venom burned through it with a gross sizzling sound. The other spiders ignored the death of their ally, and Harry was able to kill 4 more before they wizened up and scurried away from the grate. The brief hope Harry had was short lived though as they settled a few feet back and began building large webs around the area.

_Sword Skill increased. It is now 10!_

_Combat Complete! +1,250 Exp._

_Loot: 5 Acromantula Carapaces, 3 Acromantula Venom sacs, 100 Raw Acromantula Silk._

Sloshing to the side of the tunnel Harry leant again the cool but grimy stones as he finished catching his breath. The spiders outside were chittering between themselves and not for the first time in this chase Harry envied Hagrid's friendship with Aragog.

Harry glanced outside and watched the spiders build their webs, but ultimately decided he couldn't come back this way when 8 more spiders showed up from the depths of the Forest. He glanced apprehensively at the grate near him and saw that the spiders had succeeded in loosening a few of the grates edges.

_Transfiguration Skill increased. It is now 29!_

Harry had utilized a few rocks that he had found beneath the water and shored up the integrity of the grate a little in case the spiders decided to follow him. Glancing deeper into the tunnel behind him Harry sighed and began sloshing deeper into these tunnels that he knew to be last used by an 80-foot Basilisk.

*** Break***

"So why is there no Cooking skill?" Harry asked Tyran, sloshing deeper into the tunnels. He had been going for about 30 minutes now and would have gotten lost of Kijani hadn't been guiding him. The water was a little stronger here, but Harry was still able to make his way through. The water had risen above his knees now too and he could tell the area was sloping down. The tunnel itself had gotten a bit bigger luckily and he was keeping close to the sides where the slope of the circular construction meant the water was a little lower.

"There is, but you have had no need for it, so it has not appeared in your Skill list. Your time with your relatives will probably carry over into a relatively high Skill level though so when you make your first dish you will see" Tyran explained from inside his mind. Harry figured he'd probably be in these tunnels the rest of the night and wanted to pick the Guides brain one last time before the end of the tutorial.

"My Inventory has some Raw Acromantula Silk now, is there a Skill for making that usable in Crafting" Harry cursed a bit as his foot slipped beneath him and the water reached above his waist in this section. The Lumos Spell flickered a moment as his concentration wavered but retained its brilliance once he recovered. It was floating above his head as a globe of light and only cost 1 Magicka per second without stopping his Regeneration. In essence he could keep the spell up indefinitely which was good news but he had to allocate at least a bit of his focus on it or it would go out.

"There is. It is called Refining. It can be used for any Raw Material, whether it is organic or inorganic. It's really quite a useful skill once you get the basics down and is fundamental to any aspiring Crafter" that bit of information got filed away in Harry's mind as well.

Up ahead there was a bend in the tunnel and the young and shivering hero could see that the side tunnel had a platform for him to stand on. Finally he could get out of the water. He had to swim about 50 yards to get up to it.

_Swimming Skill increased. It is now level 4!_

_Swimming Skill increased. It is now level 5!_

_Swimming Skill increased. It is now level 6!_

_Swimming Skill increased. It is now level 7!_

Battling heavily against the current of the tunnel's water Harry was able to drag himself up onto the platform and flop onto his back. Swimming would probably be a necessary skill investment for the Second Task he thought.

"I'm still not sure why you didn't just hop onto your broomstick during any of that, Chosen" Tyran supplied just then and Harry took a few satisfying minutes cursing as loudly as he could.

"FUCK! I hate not thinking" Harry said as he glared at the broomstick taunting him from his Hotbar. It had been right there too.

Giving it up as a bad job Harry stripped off the wet clothes he was wearing and hit them with a few Drying Charms before tossing them into his Inventory and selecting a fresh pair of everything. Finally dry he slumped onto the floor and browsed through his Inventory for a moment. If he had flown he could be safe and sound eating stew and laughing with Hagrid right about now. The clock he now had beneath his Mini-Map indicated that it was around lunchtime so he took the mess kit he had acquired in Diagon out of his Inventory and laid it out before him. It contained a pan, pot, a deep plate that could double as a bowl and a spoon, knife, and fork. There was also some simple spices in the kit but he had acquired a better supply of all of those as well. Scrolling lower in his Inventory he pulled out a tinderbox and kindling, happy that he had bought them anyways despite thinking that Incendio would work.

Casting his eyes around Harry saw a wooden door behind him and got to his feet. The door was heavily rotted and a quick glance inside showed him a spiraling staircase leading down. Hoping that nothing down below could hear him he kicked the door from the hinges more easily than he was even expecting and made short work in breaking it apart into enough for a fire.

It took a few moments for the humidity saturated would to catch and Harry had to regularly cast Ventus at the pillar of thick smoke it produced but he was able to whip up a simple eggs and toast luncheon. It might not be necessary to eat Harry thought to himself but the routine was nice as was the notification of his Skill and the surprisingly tasty bit of food he made.

_Cooking Skill Unlocked. It is now 52! 2 Skill Boons available._

Harry selected the Boons without much care and glanced back at the door. He could either go down the stairs and try to come up into the school from below or he could fly back the way he came and blast open the grate in a surprise exit and try and get away from the spiders.

His internal debate was interrupted by the sound of cloth rippling through the air and only the notification warned him of the danger.

_Combat started!_

A Darkcloak drifted down where Harry had been sitting a moment ago and Harry wondered how he knew what this was before he remembered a book on Magical Creatures he had studied in Flourish and Blotts. Thanking his new bibliophilic tendencies Harry shot a few Diffindos at the creature and made short work of it.

_Combat Complete! +30 Exp._

_Loot: 1 Darkcloak Scrap._

Harry glanced up and shot a Lumos towards the ceiling and sent another Darkcloak scurrying deeper into the darkness.

"Well that decides that" Harry said and mounted his broom. He'd take his chances with the spiders before they settled in anymore before he went traipsing through a dungeon full of monsters during the tutorial. He vowed to come back when he was a little stronger and fully explore this area though. Maybe after his summer plans were completed.

***Break***

"FUUUUUCK YOOOOOUUUU!" Harry screamed as he blasted the grate off the entrance, laughing wildly when the metal shot through one of the spiders that had stationed itself nearby. The +125 Exp. Notification was pretty nice he thought as he took a corner at breakneck speed and shot towards Hogwarts. The spiders chittered maniacally behind him but couldn't match the speed of his Nimbus and were soon forgotten as the trees cleared around Harry.

Banking left towards Hagrid's now visible hut Harry alighted onto the ground with a flourish, almost catching a crossbow bolt through his chest for his efforts as Hagrid had not been expecting anyone to be falling from the sky like that.

"Blimey 'Arry don' do tha'!" Hagrid said whilst clutching his fragile heart.

Harry chuckled as he slipped the broom into his Hotbar with a thought causing a raised eyebrow from Hagrid that he met with a shrug.

"I mastered the Switching Spell wandlessly. I'm awesome I know" Harry joked and turned to meet Fang's greeting charge as the large hound realized there was company. Giving the loving animal a few pets Harry grinned at the large man and Hagrid couldn't help but grin back.

"Well at least I went wi' a warnin' shot" Hagrid quipped as he collected his bolt from behind Harry. The 'warning' shot had given his robe a new hole, but Harry just thanked his dumb luck for that one.

Eyeing the crossbow with a look of envy Harry asked "How did you make that thing anyways? It seems really useful for your line of work"

"It is at that. I didn't make it though, Albus gave it to me. Said he had acquired it from a talented engineer in Switzerland during his campaign against Grindlewald. Got me some silver-tipped bolts fer ornery werewolves in me hut too" Hagrid answered. The man thumbed some dirt off the tip of his errant bolt before tossing it into the quiver strapped onto his thigh. More easily than just about anyone else Hagrid reset the crossbow and put a fresh bolt into the slot before pushing the safety and strapping it to his back.

"Heading out?" Harry inquired. Fang was now religiously playing fetch with the stick that Harry had thrown over the hound's head.

"Yeah, I wan' ta see if I can find the 'erd of deer I saw signs o' the other day. I actually just go' back from tendin' ta a bit o' work by the Lake so I'm runnin' behin'" Hagrid collected a few more pieces of gear from beside his hut that Harry had never paid attention to before. The 'knife' that Hagrid slipped into a holster on his belt was easily 2 thirds as long as the sword Harry had on his Hotbar.

"Neat. Can I come?" Puppy dog eyes more effective than anything Fang had used in recent years accompanied the request.

Hagrid tapped his chin for a moment before letting out a huff and indicating Harry to come along. Fang caught up to them with the stick still in the dog's mouth from the most recent toss.

***Break***

"You gotta look fer signs o' disturbed foliage. A snapped twig, a bent bit o' brush, those will usually lead you to the next print or bit o' dung that marks the passage of an animal. This don't apply ta all animals o' course, but the docile ones like a deer usually leave traces li' tha'" Hagrid explained to the fascinated boy beside him as they crept through the brush.

Harry was amazed at Hagrid's woodsman skills; the man hardly made a sound despite being so large. Indeed Harry sounded like the giant once they made their way into the underbrush of the outer edges of the Forest.

_Hunting Skill Unlocked. It is now 1!_

"How do you do that with your feet? I'll step in the same spot you just did and snap twigs you didn't snap" Harry complained after the loud snap of said twig caused him to jump slightly.

Hagrid chuckled as they stopped and scanned the nearby tree line "Practice. Mos' times people walk wi' a heel-to-toe stride. Tha' means their weight settles almost immediately 'fore they realize what exactly their steppin' in or on. Out here 'tis best to go with a toe-to-heel step. Minor difference in practice, big difference in results. Toe-to-heel lets ya feel with yer feet and turn yer foot if ya feel somethin' like a branch beneath ya"

_Stealth skill increased. It is now 25! 1 Skill Boon available._

Harry smiled at the explanation and nodded in respect as he saw the Boon option of Toe-to-Heel in the list of options. Selecting it, Harry saw Hagrid turn to eye him as Harry took a few significantly quieter steps.

"Thas' the way, Harry. Good job. Now les' see if we can't bag us a nice bi' of dinner. I'll even teach you how to field strip an animal" Hagrid smiled at him and they continued on.

***Break***

_Skinning Skill Unlocked. It is now 1!_

Harry wiped his sweating forehead and cursed as he got blood on his face. Field stripping apparently consisted of slicing the animal long ways up the belly and burying the innards "Makes 'em easier ta carry tha' way" Hagrid had said. Hagrid kept the liver and heart, saying they were delicious bits of the animal, but buried the rest or chucked it into the Forest depending on his desire to be out in that area of the Forest again soon.

His bruised shoulder should be bothering him, but the game easily kept the pain at an ignorable level. Shooting the crossbow had been really fun though and the Notification of a Critical Hit had caused Hagrid to guffaw in amazement as Harry bagged their 3rd kill of the day, Hagrid having taken down 2 already which he had tied to his back with little to no effort. It was getting later though, and they were on their way back to the hut.

"Fine bi' o' work Harry. I still can't get over tha' sho', right through the neck clean as coul' be. Poor bugger was dead afore she hit the ground" Hagrid chuckled again and tied the twine through the legs of the recent kill. Harry grunted as he lifted the corpse of the admittedly smaller deer onto his shoulders.

"Stronger than ya look, aren't ya Harry?" Hagrid joked as they stepped through the Forest. They had barely made it 100 yards before Hagrid took pity on the huffing and puffing Boy-Who-Lived and easily took the deer off Harry's shoulders with one hand and tossed it over his own. The man had to be carrying at least 600 pounds of deer! Harry thought in amazement.

"Anyone who says that Rubeus Hagrid isn't amazing can eat shit" the amazed and sweaty dark-haired boy said. This prompted booming laughter from Hagrid that made the birds in the area scream out in protest and relocate.

***Break***

_Skinning Skill increased. It is now 2!_

Harry smiled at his finished product. It wasn't nearly as nice as Hagrid's, but it was functionally the same if you squinted. Tyran had told him that he could use the game's functionality to do the skinning work for him but Harry had wanted the experience of Skinning his first kill to be authentic. He might have felt bad but he had seen the 200 strong herd that they had been following so Harry knew that there were plenty of other deer at the edges of the Forest.

"Nicely done Harry, you'll be a fine woodsman yerself one day if ya keep that up" Hagrid said from his position by the drying racks. The man was stretching and treating the recently acquired leather and Harry had asked if he could learn the process from the obviously skilled man.

"Thanks. You do this sort of stuff all the time?" Harry asked. He sipped from the waterskin that Hagrid had tossed him in appreciation and sat back from his work.

"Not durin' the school year much, the smell o' the tannin' mix can get a little ripe fer the students. But it keeps me busy if I'm ahead on my other duties" Hagrid picked up Harry's leather and taught Harry how to string it up and treat it in short order.

_Tanning Skill Unlocked. It is now 1!_

Harry smiled at the Notification, which Hagrid took as Harry smiling at the completion of the task. That Learning bonus from his Apprentice specialization was paying dividends Harry thought and could hear Tyran's acknowledging response.

The two woodsman went into the hut and stoked the fire in the fireplace a little higher "Now we just gotta chop up tha' meat and we'll have us a fine stew for dinner" Hagrid said and Harry agreed. Luckily Hagrid let Harry do most of the cooking to avoid a rock cake scenario.

The smell of the stew bubbling away above the fire, the warmth of Fang's head resting on Harry's thigh in the hope of receiving idle pats and pets, Harry sighed in contentment. It had been a full day for sure. Hagrid laughed, joked, and told stories of his work in the Forest for an hour or so before they both savored the completed stew in happy companionship, a lifetime away from the blubbering and depressed half-giant who had carried Harry through the Forbidden Forest during the Battle of Hogwarts.

***Break***

Cracking his back and neck Harry stood up from the bedroll in his rented home and glanced at Tyran's Bracelet. Sometime during the wee hours of the morning when Hagrid had walked a surprisingly active Harry back to Hogsmeade Tyran had bid goodbye and good luck to Harry. Harry was sad to see his Guide go but knew that the tutorial had come to an end. It had been some of the most fulfilling 3 days anyone could have asked for and Harry smiled as the Bracelet had remained as a Magic Item for his equipment.

_Congrats! Tutorial Complete! +2 temporary Learning Bonus lost. Previous Life detached. Tyran's Bracelet added to Inventory. Player's Handbook added to Inventory. Skill Points Awarded. 103 Skill Points unspent. Stat Points Awarded. 10 Stat Points unused. Feat Point Awarded. 1 Feat Point unused. +5000 Exp._

_Ding! Level Up! You are now Level 7. Skill points awarded. 131 Skill Points unspent. One Home Token unused. 1 Skill Boon unused. 12 Stat Points unused. 2 Feat Points unused._

Harry had decided to deal with the levelling and Notifications in the morning and opted to Rest until 6 AM like usual. Showering and such was completed first and now he was enjoying breakfast while he browsed his Character Sheet. Kijani was on the table next to him sniffing at his sausages and complaining that he hadn't had a juicy mouse in a few days.

Promising to swing through Diagon today and get the Boomslang some mice caused Hedwig to hoot in contempt from where she was perched at the window. Harry eyed the letters before turning back to his Player's Handbook and Character Sheet. The Player's Handbook was a useful little book that explained the 'What' if not the 'How' and 'Why' the way Tyran had and Harry was grateful for it as it explained that Skills above 25 took 2 Points to increase, above 50 took 3 points, and above 75 took 4. He had not expected such a large boost from the end of the tutorial, but he supposed it made sense. His new bracelet also had the functionality of narrating any pages from a book internally much like the Construct had done previously. Harry planned on utilizing this with the Player's Handbook as the book was unfortunately immune to any of the Gamer bonuses for reading. This would allow him to do other tasks while he studied the manual for his new life.

The Previous Life Notification had confused Harry immensely as he still remembered all of the life, but upon reflection he realized that he truly felt like a 12-year-old Harry who merely had knowledge of another Harry's alternate timeline. Wow 3 days can change a lot Harry thought.

Starting with his stats Harry brought Strength, Constitution and Willpower up to 10 points each, brought Charisma and Intelligence up to 20, and sank the last 3 points into Dexterity to bring it up to 17. He was happy to see that Stats worked a little differently than Skills and would provide additional bonuses to the Skills under their jurisdiction at 20, 40, 60 etc. It wasn't much but Harry knew that it would add up as he got it going. The bonuses that Stats offered to Skills were passive, and merely affected growth rate, success chance, and capability with the skill. Someone fully versed in Swimming would not receive all of the benefits of such if their Strength and Constitution were not up to snuff. Knowledge of a subject did not necessarily confer ability to do the task as Harry had already learned in his attempts to cast certain Charms.

Going to his Feats Harry smiled. On the first day of the tutorial Harry had been determined to get to Level 7 before school. Now, at the rate that he had grown in 3 short days, Harry was determined to get to Level 9.

Eyeing the options Harry eventually decided on **Crafty **after all the work he had done with Hagrid, and reread the description.

**Crafty: **+5 Learning if it involves Crafting or Harvesting Skills.

It was short and really sweet Harry thought, as he pondered what other Crafts he could pick up. Deciding that Blacksmithing might be fun, Harry switched over to his Skills list and sighed. There was a lot of options which is why he always saved this for last when he leveled.

Combat seeming to be a pretty large part of his new life Harry decided to bring Dueling up to 25 to prompt a Boon, of which he chose one to help his magical shields. He still had 112 Points though. With a grumble at his lack of clear decisions Harry decided to save the points for emergencies like the one at the press conference and put it out of his mind for now.

The letters went a long way to improving his mood and gave him a much clearer idea of what to do with his day. Ron's letter had arrived fairly easy, and the Player's Handbook explained that Owls were trained to go through permanent Floos at post offices throughout the world to drastically reduce trip times. This went a long way to explaining why the Wizarding World hadn't progressed towards a more modern system as when you took that into account Wizard's methods were actually as fast or faster than Muggle methods.

Hermione's letter was much longer, and she displayed worry at his new emancipated status. The worry was outweighed by her excitement at his freedom though and she had extended an open invite to come visit her house and had provided a phone number and address. The letter went on for a few paragraphs about school, homework, and excitement about the new term and trip to France that her family had planned, which was slotted to begin tomorrow.

Harry slipped the letter into his Inventory in case he needed to reference it and pulled out a parchment and quill of his own, never ceasing to be in awe of his Inventory system and the usefulness of it. Quickly he detailed a few of the happenings since his last letter, but opted to keep some of the more worrying circumstances omitted. He also still refrained from telling her about his recent desire to take all of the electives this upcoming year until he had it all worked out with McGonagall. He was surprised that Hermione hadn't sent him a letter about his recent run in with the Death Eaters but remembered that she didn't have an owl and she had only subscribed in his 5th year during the debacle about Harry and Dumbledore being complete nutters.

Deciding that that might actually work in his favor Harry gave Hedwig the letter and a few treats, including a bit of his leftover sausage, and the bird nipped his fingers lovingly with a hoot before she flew off. Letting Kijani slither up his arm Harry headed to Diagon for a bit of shopping and yet another visit to the Bank.

***Break***

Harry left the Bank quite a few thousand Galleons lighter and quite a few thousand Pounds heavier. In money, not weight he joked internally. Stopping by the Menagerie to keep his promise to Kijani, soon Harry was up Charing Cross in the Muggle world in a phone booth on the phone with his best friend.

"Hey Hermione! Yeah, I got your letter, I just passed a payphone and thought I might call for a minute to catch up. Yeah, it is a bit faster than a letter and with you leaving tomorrow I didn't want to accidentally sign Hedwig up for international journeying. I wonder if there's a magical equivalent besides Floo calls. I'm sure the Library probably has a book or two you can read in the upcoming year about it. Hedwig is on the way with a letter that should explain a bunch more stuff so I don't want to dive too deep into it at the moment, I don't have the phone for much longer. Yeah you'll have to get a few pictures for me France definitely sounds like fun. Museums aren't my definition of fun Hermione. Yeah I'll make sure that my homework is done, thank you Mum. I gotta go though this guy outside the booth looks like he's ready to have kittens. I'll be safe don't worry, you'll give yourself wrinkles. Bye!" Harry hung up the payphone with a smile and sauntered past the older gentleman that had been trying to rush him.

With a few steps back up the street and through the door of the Leaky Cauldron Harry was back in the wizarding world and ready to take it by storm.

-Fin-

A/N: So yeah, been a while since my last update. Between losing my job, trouble in the family, and Covid doing terrible things globally I have been away far too long and failed to deliver on far too many promises. I will be continuing work on the chapters, just finished rereading and getting myself back on track. Chapter 6 has been removed to make way for edits and such and to take the story back in a direction I like as Chapter 6 was what had caused a big block before. Hoping for a much better product this time around

The tutorial is complete! WOOOOOOOOO! I know that Tyran didn't make many appearances, but the Guide was basically a speaking and thinking alternative to the Player's Handbook, much better for the tone I was trying to use. Tyran's voice at least will make an appearance again but at this point I highly doubt the character will return, hope no one is too bummed about that but I was never attached to the character.

Hermione has joined the battle! Relationship scores are for me to know and you to wonder about as tracking those will get tedious as hell. Just keep in mind his various bonuses. Yes he is a 12-year-old Harry with knowledge of a 17-year-old's life but lets be real, that offers him what sort of life experience? 2 snog sessions with Ginny and a sad kiss from Cho? Other than torture sessions from Voldemort and a sad abusive childhood Harry doesn't know much about life. If one motherfucker comes into this story telling me that Harry's a pedo for dating anyone, I'll find you and laugh in your face.

I made some balancing changes to the sheet below to reflect the recent story progress that I have planned.

**Harry James Potter**

**Age: 13**

**Class and Level: Apprentice Wizard 7**

**Health: 180**

**Magicka: 500**

**Stamina: 205**

**Stats**

**Strength- 10**

**Dexterity- 17**

**Constitution- 10**

**Perception- 1 (+10 with Glasses)**

**Intelligence- 20**

**Willpower- 10 (+5)**

**Magic- 20 (+15)**

**Charisma- 20**

**Luck- 31 (Locked)**

**Perks:**

Fated Luck: +10 to Luck always, -40 to Luck in certain situations.

Magical Powerhouse: +10 to Magic, +5 to Willpower, +10 to Magicka Regeneration, +5 to Learning when it involves Spells. Magicka now grows at a 1.5 rate vs the standard .8 of most Wizards.

Flyer: +20 Broom Handling, +10 Creature Handling if creature has wings.

Parselmouth: +35 to Parseltongue.

Family Heritage: +5 to Broom Handling, +5 Transfiguration, +5 Charms, +5 Potions.

Puberty = Truck: Puberty is going to kick your ass and put hair in so many places. I won't go into details. Affects 3rd year Summer.

Linguist: +2 to Learning when it involves Languages.

Represent: +5% Reputation Gains, -5% Reputation Losses.

**Disadvantages:**

Poor Eyesight: -8 to Perception without glasses or similar device. +10 with them on.

Chosen One: -20 to Luck in certain situations. +5 to Magic. Certain events are unavoidable. +25% Reputation Gains, +25% Reputation Losses.

**Feats**

**The Wand Chooses the Wizard but the Wizard Chooses the Spell: **+3 to Learning when it involves spells.

**Magical Aura: **+5 Damage Reduction to Spells. +10 to Social Skills against sensitive targets.

**Motion of the Potion: **Potions no longer require a 3 second Drinking Action.

**Crafty: **+5 Learning if it involves Crafting or Harvesting Skills.

**Magic Skills**

Transfiguration – 29

Boon: Size conversion ratio of Transfigured materials increased by 10%

Animagus Transformation – 1

Herbology – 25

Boon: Flora and Fauna that are Magical will glow in the Player's eyes.

Charms – 27

Boon: Charms Spells cost 10% less Magicka to Cast

Potions – 27

Boon: Splash Radius of thrown Potions increased by 25%

Astrology – 16

Defensive Spells – 26

Boon: Maxima Variant now able to be applied to Defensive Spells.

Care of Magical Creatures – 14

Divination – 8

Ancient Runes – 8

Arithmancy – 10

Dark Arts – 19

Alchemy – 2

Enchanting – 1

**Physical Skills**

Quidditch – 7 Keeper, 7 Beater, 12 Chaser, 47 Seeker

Boon Seeker: You are able to track the Snitch more readily! Snitch will give an indicator when it is about to change direction.

Running – 16

Jumping – 1

Weightlifting – 4

Swimming – 7

Acrobatics – 19

Climbing – 15

Sword – 10

Cloth Armor – 33

Boon: Regular Clothes Shmegular Clothes. Any cloth is armor! +1 to armor per slot if equipped item is Cloth. Robes provide +2 per slot.

**Social Skills**

Diplomacy – 25 (+5)

Boon: Heir to an Empire. As the youngest Lord in recent years people are eager for your attention. +5% Relationship Gains.

Intimidation – 25

Boon: Flux. You may now consciously flare your magic to those around you. Doubles effectiveness of Magic Aura Feat. Cost 2 Magicka per second. Stops Magicka Regeneration.

Performance – 4

Etiquette – 25

Boon: Now you're forked. Your skill in formal settings is improved! Delivers notification prompts in formal dining.

Flirting – 26

Boon: Lost in your eyes. Making direct eye contact will improve your chances of success when engaged in Flirting. -5 to DR rating of target.

Sense Intention – 10

Chess – 13

Pranking – 20

**Stealth Skills**

Disguise – 3

Sleight of Hand – 5

Lying – 6

Escaping – 21

Stealth – 25

Boon. Toe-to-Heel. Your steps are now 50% quieter!

**Hybrid Skills**

Dueling – 25

Boon: Magical Shields are now 10% stronger

Broom Handling – 51

Boon: You have a need for speed and your broom realizes it. +10 MPH to max speed regardless of model!

Boon: While on a Broomstick, gain +10 to Dodge!

**Mental Skills**

Parseltongue – 100

Boon: Snakes have a predisposition of +2000 Reputation when you reveal yourself as a Speaker

Boon: Spells with a 'Sss' sound may be cast in Parseltongue for +5 Difficulty Rating to overcome

Boon: The nuances of Parseltongue make other languages seem easy. +1 to Learning if it involves Languages.

Boon Mastery: May have a magical snake as a Familiar that does not count against your familiar slot.

English – 70

French – 4

Gobbledygook – 2

German – 8

History – 15

Science – 9

Mathematics – 10

**Harvesting and Crafting Skills**

Clipping – 7

Skinning – 2

Tanning – 1

Cooking – 52

Boon: Live and Learn. You may recreate most meals that you have tasted or modify it as you see fit. +2 to level of meal benefits

Boon: Eye for Quality. You have a discerning eye when it comes to the freshness of ingredients. Less like to find or use expired or stale ingredients.

_Unspent 112_

_Class Specialization Apprentice chosen: +5% Exp Gain. +2 Learning. Unlocks Specializations Sorcerer, Mage, and Archmage at further levels._


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: For a brief timeline, its June in the story currently, but a few short days of summer has passed and Harry has already gained a level and quite a few skills. Will he continue this trend and enter 3rd year as even more of a badass or will he relax a bit and enjoy a summer of freedom? Even I do not know, the story is kind of writing itself as I go along and I've been lucky to produce a cohesive story so far.

Reviews to answer. Alright, so GreatBubbaJ is still giving me reviews on my chapters. Thank you so much GreatBubbaJ! But he brought up that English had no boons on the character sheet. This is correct, as only magical skills or skills with a game impact like Cooking have Boons. Also I am by no means an English Master so I don't foresee that skill getting higher than 80 or so as Harry lives his life.

BMS, thanks for your review! You brought up a good point about the grate and it will play a part in a future chapter *hint hint* and you are correct about Swimming being excellent exercise, his level in the skill increased so much because it was low when he was swimming up the just above waist high waterway and fighting the current. If you can imagine it it was kind of an awkward half swim half step kind of adorable attempt in my mind. He was really regretting forgetting the broomstick on his Hotbar let me tell you.

Goodquestion12345, Thank you for the review! Unfortunately to prevent clutter in the flow of events I leave the boon for the next posting of the Character Sheet. I'll try to be more specific when describing the boon that he chooses in story format but the true explanation won't typically be included in a fight scene. I apologize if this does not satisfy you.

Loch Kaiser, yeah I'm trying to avoid making Harry too overpowered at the start. True Flight might be something that comes up, I mean Voldemort was able to do it and I'm sure there are a few other wizards out there who can do it as well.

JustAnotherFan217, thank you for the review! I really like your suggestion and will probably implement it in a later chapter. Stay tuned for more!

Damsonuneedhelp, I read your review and upon consideration did end up agreeing with you. I've modified chapters 2-3, but the cost of the Permanent Portkey does stand. This is basically Point A to Point B whenever you need, kind of Portkey. That saves hundreds on Floo Powder, time, and ease of use. And is reusable. You may disagree with that but for the story Portkeys are basically the fast travel method of choice for the Gamer.

Also, I have gotten around 30+ reviews since old Chapter 6 and I'm sorry for those who were liking the early link between Hermione and Harry but that has been modified. I debated on removing that completely but I set up for possibilities there. The previous Chapter 6 just felt forced as I said in the previous A/N. For now I will be focusing on Harry's plans throughout the chapter, and flesh out a few more directions for the story to go.

On we go!

***Break***

Chapter 6: Davis and Dobby

There were few things that Harry liked more than Quidditch when it came to riding a broomstick. But he had to admit that zipping through the Forbidden Forest full speed dodging trees and branches with hardly an inch to spare may come in as a very close second.

_Broom Handling skill increased. It is now 54!_

This was the 3rd time that he had gotten the notification since he set out that morning, but Harry tuned it out the same as before as he rolled through a thin break in the branches ahead. The click-clack of the pincers of the Acromantula that had just dived at him voiced the spider's displeasure when it wasn't quite so lucky.

Harry grinned as he pulled the broom up short and turned to the spider. He had been dealing with this persistent bugger for a while. A double shot of a Diffindo aggravated the spider into moving again but didn't seem to bother the spider much.

"All according to plan" Harry thought to himself as he shot off in another direction just fast enough to avoid the arachnid's attempts to pump him full of venom.

"Hagrid! Coming to you!" Harry yelled as he shot right over the half-giant's head. Hagrid chuckled and shouldered his crossbow. With practiced ease he shot the spider right in the center of the cluster of eyes and stepped to the side as the arachnid crashed down in a heap.

"Nice flyin' 'Arry!" the man yelled to the boy as he retrieved his bolt with a sickening crack-squelch. Wiping it on his shirt and depositing it in his quiver, Hagrid looked up at Harry.

"Wha' did ya fin'?" he asked as he unsheathed a hatchet and quickly disconnected the head from the abdomen. The head was deposited into a basket on the man's back that already had another head in it.

"They're still harrassing them, but now the numbers are a bit more even" Harry replied as he alighted on the ground next to Hagrid. Taking care to sidestep the growing pool of ichor beneath the carcass. "Why are we doing this again?"

"Well, normally I'd le' it be ya see. But since tha' business with tha' creature tha' was attackin' them unicorns in yer Firs' Year the herd had pulled into the western par' o' the Forest. This is the firs' I seen o' them since. But without them Aragog's brood has gotten a bi' ou' o' hand as you can tell. I fear 'e may be getting along in years and can no longer control as many o' the little un's as he might like to. So when I saw signs o' them strikin' a' the unicorns the other day I been thinkin' hard abou' how to get the unicorns a bit more breathing room. When you tol' me abou' your little run in yesterday it got me thinkin'. I'm no good on a broom but if you lead 'em to me we can take a few out nice an easy and hopefully let the new foals tha' jus' been born have a fightin' chance. Give them a week or two to get settled in and they shoul' 'ave no problem dealin'". Hagrid had explained bits of this before he requested Harry's help, with strict instructions to just get away as quickly as possible if more than 2 followed. During his explanation he had also finished harvesting the 3rd corpse of the day. He was harvesting the hairs from the backs of the abdomens, the heads along with the pincers and venom sacks, and the spinnerets and any raw silk from the backside. An added bonus he had said as Snape was often after the parts for producing a variety of potions. Harry had never thought about it before but he guessed it made sense that Snape might have worked out a lucrative deal with Hagrid for animal parts useful for potioneering that the Potion Master could then turn into potions to sell to various apothecaries and even St. Mungo's. The man was a Slytherin after all. It also helped that Hagrid was more than happy to explain useful tidbits about the anatomy of the large arachnids.

"Huh. You do a lot more around Hogwarts than a lot of people give you credit for don't you?" Harry said as he slipped the man 28 Galleons for their agreed upon deal with the Silk he harvested. Harry slipped the material into his backpack that he had brought along for the activities.

_Raw Acromantula Silk x 7 added to Inventory._

Hagrid had protested about being paid as he argued that Harry putting himself at risk for Hagrid's own side-project was payment enough but eventually agreed to a small portion of the actual worth of the material. The raw silk was refined by professionals into much more thread than the initial slightly goopy bundle might indicate so even a small amount was worth a pretty Sickle or two.

The half-giant blushed and grumbled but shooed the kid along as they moved to another location for an ambush. Harry simply smiled but also grumbled a little inside as he felt the game duped him for lack of experience. Apparently according to the Player's Handbook that the Tyran Bracelet was dutifully reading as they strolled through the forest, since Harry did not land the killing blow or participate largely in the damage he did not get the experience.

_Charms Skill increased! It is now 29!_

Well at least the Diffindos were doing something Harry thought as he zipped through the trees again, spider close behind.

***Break***

Freshly showered after an unfortunate accident involving a hearty pat on the back and a nearby pool of ichor, a clean Harry Potter activated his Diagon Portkey and slipped back into the Alley to see what sort of trouble he could get into with his Invisibility Cloak. It was early evening and the sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon. Just enough time to pick up another few sets of potion ingredients after a quick talk with Madam Malkin, the alley's leading expert on Silk refining. A fact that still surprised him considering Twilfitt sold more of the materials in their clothing.

"Ah, yes it is true those snobs do sell more of the silk robes, but that is because I refuse to put the material into everything I use. There's a reason I'm the go-to for back to school robes you know" the Madam smiled at the charming boy as she explained some of what went into the process. There weren't many books on the process as it has always been a Master-Apprentice style of knowledge to prevent people from just cutting out the middle-man. Harry wisely neglected to mention that he intended to do just that but he was hoping she could explain enough of it to unlock the skill. He listened for a bit longer to her sprinkle tidbits of knowledge in between anecdotes about her tailoring profession before finally-

_Silk Refining Skill Unlocked. It is now 1!_

'Silk Refining? Dammit' Harry thought as he politely excused himself from what sounded to be another 15 minute talk about new parents bringing their kids by for robes. Harry quickly found a safe spot and pulled out his Player's Handbook before flipping it open.

"Refining" He stated in his mind, and watched in amazement as the book flipped to the appropriate page. A feature that he was constantly finding a use for.

"Read" was the next command and he felt the bracelet he wore on his wrist heat up in acknowledgement. The Invisibility Cloak slipped over his head as Tyran's voice started the slightly boring but nevertheless useful explanation.

"Refining. An art that has foiled many an aspiring Crafter. There are as many Refining methods as there are Materials that need Refining but each is governed by its own skill. Now to the Gamer this might seem annoying" Harry almost grunted in acknowledgement of that fact, wisely holding in his breath as a disgruntled looking drunk made their way out of a seedy establishment as the Boy-Who-Lived slipped into a seedier part of the Alley without quite being Knockturn "but this also serves to prevent the Gamer from needing to speak to every sort of Refiner out there to unlock the Refining Skill. Once the Skill has been learned the process that would normally take a practitioner months in some cases merely becomes a footnote on the path to Mastering a Craft. Higher levels of this skill will result in higher yields and less botched Refining attempts. Boons in these skills will also tend to correspond with the related Crafting Skills potentially leading to specialization in a particular Crafting Skill. Acromantula Silk is a good example of this as it can be used to create clothes via Tailoring, carpets via Weaving, or bags with Storage with relative bonuses to each"

Harry mulled that over as he checked off another 2 buildings for his quest to explore the Alley before the summer. Not a terribly difficult task but one that would probably take the rest of the summer, being done in bits and pieces. Heading to the Portkey area to head to the Three Broomsticks for dinner Harry checked off 2 more buildings on the pamphlet he had gotten from Tom just the other day.

***Break***

Home. That was the one thing that Harry felt he was missing and it was a situation that he should probably address sooner rather than later. He had the rental property for the rest of summer but it was not a long term solution. There was also the chance that if he stayed here too long he might get another surprise visit from some Voldemort sympathizers. Definitely not an ideal scenario. It was this line of thinking that had him flipping the Home Token through the air while he chewed on some dried venison that Hagrid had made for him from his first deer kill. It had been a week since he had made it to Hogsmeade and though he had gotten a half level from helping Hagrid around the school it was a far cry from the rate of progress he had enjoyed during the tutorial. Tyran's voice was reading the Handbook to him while he debated his options.

"Home Tokens. These are nifty little Tokens that designate an unclaimed building as a Home. The benefits of such are that the area accrues power much like warded homes do, albeit faster, and can eventually be very strong bastions against attacks though this process can take years. Crafting experience also is increased if relevant stations are installed into corresponding parts of the Property. Every Property varies in what can be installed and no property can have everything though the Gamer can have as many Homes as they have Tokens. A standard Property can hold between 3-5 stations, a large can hold 8-12 while a massive can hold 14-25. Stations are limited to Crafting, Training, Resting, and Travel. Designating an area as a Home automatically creates a Portkey that can transport the Gamer back there. Crafting and Training at a home produce increased yields and higher success rates than Crafting or Training elsewhere. There are exceptions to this of course such as a Master Potioneers lab will likely produce higher results than many Home labs. Training at home varies depending what Training area is installed. A Dueling Platform, Gym, Swimming Pool, Quidditch Pitch are some examples of viable Training installations. Resting areas are simply bedrooms and lounge areas that provide Resting benefits when utilized by the Gamer. These benefits are a 5% increase to Health, Stamina, Magicka, and Experience gain until the next dawn" Harry listened attentively as again he deftly caught the falling token. Kijani had already voiced his opinions that Harry should live in the Chamber of Secrets as that was a home befitting the Great One. Unfortunately as the status of that area was deemed an Instance it was invalid. Hogwarts was also claimed by Albus at the moment but maybe in the future Harry could find a way to list the Castle as his Home.

No what he needed was a fresh start. Potter Manor's old acreage had been sold when Harry was 10 to support the untended finances due to a bylaw of the Ministry that should a property go unlived in for a set period of time it would be sold to make room for other families to have properties. Grimmauld Place had potential but without Sirius it would do no good. Harry supposed that he could just buy some land and commission a house to be built. It would take a bit of time but if he found a large enough property it opened a lot of avenues for him.

Deciding that idea had the most potential he set off for the Ministry which handled most of the magically viable property. Wouldn't do anyone any good for a Witch or Wizard to just stop, drop, and open up shop willy nilly in the countryside potentially risking breaking the Statute of Secrecy. Grabbing another piece of the tasty venison, courtesy of a very fine marinade that Harry had whipped up for Hagrid, Harry activated his portkey to the Atrium.

***Break***

The Atrium was much less packed than it was at his last visit but his presence still turned a few heads and jump-started the gossiping for the day as it was early morning. Harry ignored it though and after checking in with the Auror on duty he made quick work with getting to the lift and getting to Level 5 for International Magical Trading Standards Body. This was the department that held the office for purchasing land as although Wizarding Britain was British, and therefore technically beholden to the Crown, it was for all other intents and purposes completely autonomous of Muggle Britain and therefore a separate nation. Harry disagreed with that but knew that as a Muggle-raised Wizard he was a bit biased.

Knocking on the door of the office, Harry stepped inside and was drawn to look at the large map on the wall. This map held … confusing information. It was the British Isles but large swaths of land were blacked out on the map and it looked misshapen. Even London had some irregularities.

"Ah, that map is a bit confusing if you're not sure what you're looking for. Between Unplottable plots of land, secrecy clauses in the paperwork, and Expansion Charms we wizards see a much different plot of land than Muggles" An older gentleman settled into the desk in front of Harry and gestured for the crimson-haired boy to sit "My name is Henry Davis. How can I help you Lord Potter?"

Harry glanced at his ring, figuring that was how he was revealed so easily "I'm looking into possible plans for my future. I've accepted my Inheritance recently but have nowhere to call home at the moment. I wanted to look at the possibility of starting fresh and carving out a new legacy for the Potter name"

"Of course, of course. The land that once held Potter Manor was an unfortunate sale, it was large with very desirable features and sold almost the next day. Are you looking to settle in the countryside, purchase a flat in the Alley, or to convert a Muggle townhouse into a wizarding property?" The man shuffled some papers and pulled some folders while Harry responded.

"Well… I'm not sure. I've very little experience with all of this" Harry admitted.

"Naturally. Most wizarding homes stay in the family for generations and there's hardly a need for many to change residences. You could start small and get a flat like many young witches and wizards, but that doesn't seem to be your goal judging from that face" The man chuckled at Harry's expression.

"No, its not that. I'm sure you've read the papers recently and I've been an unfortunate front-pager for far too many issues. I worry if I settle in the Alley I'll never get a moment of peace"

"Very true. Well what is your budget?" The man pulled a few more folders and started organizing them.

"I'd like to keep the cost below 1,000,000 Galleons" Harry threw a number out and started a bit when the man choked on the tea he had just sipped from.

"Merlin, Mr. Potter. That sort of money hardly needs to be bandied about so lightly" Mr. Davis adjusted his tie and recovered a bit of his decorum. Harry was wise enough to decline commenting that he was prepared to throw more into this than that.

_Quest Started! Find a Home! __Reward: 5 Skill points, 1 Permanent Portkey, 3 Stat points, and 2000 Experience points._

"With money like that you'd best be looking at land. Now there are a few options available. We have acreage available in Ireland, England, and Scotland. Do you have a preference on size?" There was an air of excitement in the man's voice that Harry picked up on.

"Sir… forgive me for asking this but you get commission off of this don't you?" Harry knew he had it right when the man had the decency to look sheepish.

"You are correct. Forgive me, I don't want to pressure you into anything you do not want but in … meager defense of my actions this sort of purchase happens maybe once in the odd decade" The teacup was brought up to hide the man's blush.

Harry could hardly fault the man for getting excited, he had merely been curious. He decided to stall for a bit more time while he debated further what he would want with this new information "Davis… Davis… Do you have a daughter about to be in 3rd year?"

Mr. Davis' eyes lit up at the mention of his daughter "Yes, Tracey, she's in Slytherin"

"I knew the name sounded familiar. School rivalries have prevented much talk but she seems nice. Smart enough to distance herself from Malfoy and his cronies" Harry turned to look at the map to decide where he might like to place his new property. His eyes caught the area designated Devonshire.

"Malfoy Sr. is a … I'd like to say reasonable man but he's honestly sort of a twit" The man side eyed the boy when a loud guffaw escaped Harry's lips.

"I've had the pleasure. Well let's see if we can send you home with a nice bonus. Tell me more about Devonshire. I know a few families live in that area" And thus the debating started.

***Break***

"Sign here and here. Press your wand here. Are you sure you want to go with the full array?" Mr. Davis asked, finalizing the deal. And what a deal it was. Just wait until he told his wife!

"Of course. Unplottable, Notice-me-not, designated areas for Portkeys and Apparition except for people keyed in? This all sounds incredibly useful." And expensive Harry noticed. But he also knew that once he got the hang of Crafting and Refining he would be making more than enough to recoup the loss. Plus the various wards and charms would apparently only be reinforced by the Home Token. "And you said the architects could get the home built in 3 days, with the wards installed over the next 4 days after that? I can have a house in a week?"

_Negotiation Skill Increased! It is now 71!_

"That is correct. Magic is a wonderful thing. It actually takes longer to convert townhomes with the arrays and … listen to me, rambling, I'm sorry Mr. Potter I'm not being the most professional" Mr. Davis settled behind the desk to proof-read the documents once more before filing them.

"Nonsense Mr. Davis. I've racked up quite a bill because of your rambling" Harry waved away the incoming apology "And it has all been absolutely necessary purchases. I'm reforging the Potter Legacy. A few thousand Galleons now prevents a descendant from having to fork that out for something I overlooked"

"I'm not going to argue with you Mr. Potter, you've given me quite the bonus for this month.. I may even take my family on a vacation this winter to celebrate" The man smiled warmly. He had only met Harry a few short hours ago but the boy was charming beyond his years and by all indicators very intelligent, not to mention well off.

"Actually let me invite you to my home office this upcoming Saturday. You mentioned you were interested in some other properties for business and travel. I'd love to discuss that further. Strictly off the record of course." Harry nodded to the request and they set a time of 2 PM, for afternoon tea.

"Perfect. I'll have my house elf bring by a formal invitation" The man said. The sound of pages flipping were the only sound in the office for a moment while Harry thought about that statement.

"Sir, you've been nothing but kind to me so I feel okay asking this. How does one go about acquiring a House Elf?" Harry asked as nonchalantly as he could.

"An interesting question. Most House Elves are passed down through generations, having been with a family for quite some time. They're interesting creatures. They can be bought from Houses that have too many or who are looking to get rid of any offspring for various reasons. Then you bring them by the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures to register them to your family. There they do a small ceremony to swear the Elf to your family. It's actually rather simple. I myself keep 2 within my employ. One to help me during my work and another to manage the household with my wife. Now, if you'll just stamp your ring here I can submit this paperwork and you can go visit your new land. The architects will handle everything else for the building of the home with you, including layout and payment" The boy did as requested and shook the man's hand, accepting a copy of the paperwork for his personal records.

"I will see you this Saturday Mr. Potter, perhaps you and Tracey can find some time to discuss some of the upcoming year away from the House Rivalries" Mr. Davis said with a wink. Harry chuckled and nodded, wishing the man a good rest of his day before leaving the office.

***Break***

"Dobby" Harry said with an urgent whisper. He had locked himself into the first single bathroom he had found, casting what few spells he could to ensure privacy. With a pop the excitable Elf appeared before the boy.

"The Great Harry Potter has called for Dobby! Oh thank you sirs, thank you. Dobby has been enjoying his newest freedoms!" Dobby said with adoration in his eyes. This soon changed to near tears when he saw the warm expression that Harry was eyeing him with. The boy's memories might not be his own any longer but how could he not regard this hero of a Elf with anything less for all the work and companionship that he had provided Harry's alternative self.

"Dobby. I'm glad to see you're doing well. Oh none of that none of that please. I actually called you to ask you if you would like to become my personal Elf, I just bought a ho-oof" Harry wasn't able to finish as Dobby through himself into the boy's stomach and squeezed him into a hug that had a surprising strength to it.

"Yes! Oh this is such a good day for Dobby. Is had almost spoke with Dumblesdores about possible employment with Hogwarts but this is much much better!" Dobby said with a wiggling in his ears as he practically vibrated with excitement.

Harry grinned and together they made short work at the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures on level 4 of the Ministry. The ceremony was simply Harry reciting some formal request while Dobby pressed his forehead against the Lord ring. Harry made sure to introduce himself to Amos Diggory who headed up the department. They made small talk about Harry's recent life that Amos interrupted only 3 times to pepper in facts and brags about "his boy Cedric". They made loose arrangements to meet up near their homes as Harry was soon to be living nearby. The man was a bit of a tool in Harry's opinion but he was honest by it and was a respected Lord and Head of a department in the Ministry. It never hurt having a friend or 2 in the right areas, Harry thought to himself as he remembered Buckbeak.

***Break***

The hills rolled out into the distance, long wheatgrass waved in the light breeze. There was a few small streams that rolled through the area along with a medium sized lake. Harry was now the proud owner of a sizable stretch of land north of Plymtree. He knew that he was 2 hours walking distance from The Burrow and couldn't wait to tell Ron about it. He hoped the fellow red-headed boy wouldn't be too jealous of his new living arrangement. Lord Potter had just finished meeting with the architects about his home. He was going for a massive Property to maximize Crafting and Training areas. There would be an outdoor Quidditch Pitch, indoor Swimming Pool, Potions Lab, Dueling Platform, Loom, Enchanting/Ritual Room (Harry had been pleased when he realized the room would have dual purpose), Tannery, Blacksmith, Mechanic's Shed not unlike Mr. Weasley's, 3 Greenhouses that he knew he would be getting Neville to assist with, a Library that would likely take a while to fill up, and 10 Bedrooms with a bathroom/closet attached to each. It seemed like a lot, and Harry's bank statement definitely felt the purchases but he had a home. A place that was his. Or soon to be his, it had to be built first. Dobby was working with the architects to outfit each room as it was ready and then Harry would meet with the warding team in 4 days, with tea at the Davis' that afternoon. With 3 days to kill there was but one thing left to do. It was time for the boy-who-lived to try his luck in the Chamber of Secrets.

_Game Saved! You may now access the Load Game feature. Don't Die!_

*Fin*

A/N: Hello everyone it has been too long. Here it is! A brand new chapter for the story. Sort of. More like a replacement chapter but its done! And whew it is finally done. Dobby has joined the party! Much like Hagrid I have always had a soft spot for Dobby even if he can be a bit much in his scenes. Harry has plans for a home now too! I wanted to step away from tropes like "Potter manor has amazing secrets that will defeat Voldemort so easily". I gave Harry a large home, this is true, but it's mostly bedrooms and fun stuff to do with his friends.

Next Chapter, we delve into the Chamber of Secrets. OoooOoooooOOOOoooOooo, scaaaaaary.

I will be picking up the pace a bit to get Harry back into Hogwarts soon. I'll also delve a bit into the whys of some of his actions, where applicable.

'Til next time!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Hello. It is nice to see you again. As usual I have review answers below.

JustAnotherFan217, thank you for another review! You do bring up a good point on the stats, but be reminded that in Chapter 1 the Stats tend to be set in stone outside of Stat Points awarded for levelling and questing. This system will evolve as the story goes on but Harry doesn't know that yet.

Milpld, I'm glad I write weird :D makes it more fun to write. I hope to see your comments in the future!

Navn Ukjent, Yes! It is weird. But also not too strange. Ancestral homes abound in the canon and no one really moves. But with families having died in the previous war and dirtbags like Malfoy does it really seem so strange that legislation to claim a lot of that extra land (potentially with grand homes full of family heirlooms) came into prevalence?

, They were lower level Death Eaters. With Voldemort not being present a lot of the inner circle and better trained are keeping their heads low or locked in Azkaban. They shall remain nameless because they were not important to the story. Thank you for the review!

This chapter is going to focus on Skills and Harry finally starting to realize what it truly means to be The Gamer. Also will feature a lot of breaks as I hate writing out grinding. I'll let your imagination fill the gaps and only describe the key events!

And away we go!

Chapter 7: Grinding, Gearing, Gaming

_Swimming skill has increased! It is now 13!_

Harry almost regretted failing to use his broom again, if it hadn't been by choice this time. Frustration had made him swim again as even with everything he had accomplished in the past week and a half he hadn't been seeing many returns. So when presented with the choice of floating above the water in the pipe vs swimming against the current he opted for the harder path because why not?

_Squeeeeelch._

Soggy shoes would normally be a great reason but he was a wizard after all. So in a weird sense of deja vu he clambered out of the water and switched clothes in his inventory screen. And what a full screen it was. Harry had diligently spent the morning preparing for his spelunking adventure. In his inventory was everything he thought he might need. Multiple ingredients for a variety of potions, extra vials, quite a few minor curatives and healing potions along with a few useful tinctures. He had his broom, potions, emergency Portkey to Hogsmeade, and 3 unused slots on his bar. His wand and sword of Gryffindor were in his hands.

Also in his inventory were rations made from the dried venison that he had collected more of from Hagrid on his way in. He hated lying to the Half-Giant but knew the curative feature of eating food might help him between fights down in the Instance. Kijani hissed words of encouragement from his hood. He had raw materials for Transfiguration, had bumped his Charms skill up to 35 to allow the use of Incendio. He hated only having 34 points left for skills after dumping 70 into Negotiation but then remembered he had saved quite a few Galleons on his home with those points.

Diffindo, Diffindo.

_Charms skill has increased! It is now 36!_

_Loot: 1 Darkcloak Scrap_

Harry had his light over his head and was going to take it slow and steady to see what he could do in here.

_Dive into the Chamber of Secrets Instance? Yes or No?_

Yes.

***Break***

_Drip. Drip. Drip._

The monotony of the noise echoing through the dark tunnels was grating on Harry's nerves. Slow and steady was quickly becoming sketchy and nerve wracking. He had already dispatched 2 more Dark Cloaks on his way through the entrance of the Instance. Kijani had already slipped into his hotbar on his orders after an incident where the boomslang had accidentally licked Harry's ear. His heartrate still hadn't come down and he was sure the high pitched scream was still echoing through the sprawling tunnels. The save game feature, while minimally reassuring, wasn't something the boy-who-might-have-run-out-of-extra-lives didn't want to test so soon.

His mini-map feature was again becoming one of his favorite new additions to his life though. He had already spotted hidden alcoves that he might not have seen without being right up on them, twice. Nothing was in them but it was reassuring to his nerves that he might have a bit of pre warning on ambushes.

Finally the tunnel opened up into a medium sized hub of tunnels. Sure there was a skeleton _standing_ in the middle of the room but what was a skeleton really? Just a hunk of- OH SHIT IT MOVED.

_Combat Started!_

"Diffindo. Diffindo's don't work. Lovely. And look! The skeleton pulled a sword out of its non-existent asshole!" Harry narrated to himself as he backstepped the luckily slow swing.

_Clang!_

Harry parried the next swing with his sword. Another 2 clangs echoed through the halls as he parried 2 more.

_Sword skill has increased! It is now 11!_

Harry nearly grinned when the notification came up. Getting a brilliant idea he Switched his wand back into the Hotbar and gripped his sword with both hands. Soon it was a game of cat and mighty mouse as Harry parried each sword swing that the skeleton used.

_Sword skill has increased! It is now 12!_

_Sword skill has increased! It is now 13!_

_Sword skill has increased! It is now 14!_

_Sword skill has increased! It is now 15!_

_Sword skill has increased! It is now 16!_

_Sword skill has increased! It is now 17!_

_Sword skill has increased! It is now 18!_

_Sword skill has increased! It is now 19!_

_Sword skill has increased! It is now 20!_

_Sword skill has increased! It is now 21!_

_Sword skill has increased! It is now 22!_

_Sword skill has increased! It is now 23!_

_Sword skill has increased! It is now 24!_

_Sword skill has increased! It is now 25! One Skill Boon available!_

_Pause!_

Harry's grin had grown as he realized that he could totally use this skeleton to get his sword skill a little less crappy. And the Boons! OH the Boons! He had 3 options and he was very torn.

**Bastard's Grip: **2 handed swings deal 50% more damage!

**One handed Grip: **1 Handed Swings cost 25% less stamina!

**Dual Wield: **A Sword can be used in either/both hands with no penalty!

Deciding that Dual Wield was arguably the most useful Harry chose it, unpaused, Switched his sword to his left hand and brought his wand up to bear looking to test something.

Diffindo, Diffindo, Diffindo, Diffindo…

_Charms Skill increased! It is now 37!_

And then Harry got an even more brilliant idea. It was an annoying idea, but … holy shit fuck it.

Life is a game after all.

***Break***

_Swimming skill has increased! It is now 13!_

_Squeeeeelch._

Diffindo, Diffindo.

_Charms skill has increased! It is now 28!_

_Loot: 1 Darkcloak Scrap_

_Drip. Drip. Drip._

_Combat Started!_

_Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!_

_Sword skill has increased! It is now 25! One Skill Boon available!_

_Pause!_

And in what was definitely the longest Deja vu of all time Harry had done it. Loaded his game like a true gamer, stopped himself from spending points on Charms, and abused the shit out of the first grindable enemy he had come across. Dual Wield was chosen, and it was time. Time to be the Gamer.

_Unpause!_

Slam! Harry brought the sword straight down onto the skeleton's head. And killed it. Crap.

_Load Save 1!_

_Swimming skill has increased! It is now 13!_

_Squeeeeelch._

Diffindo, Diffindo.

_Charms skill has increased! It is now 28!_

_Loot: 1 Darkcloak Scrap_

_Drip. Drip. Drip._

_Combat Started!_

_Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!_

_Sword skill has increased! It is now 25! One Skill Boon available!_

_Pause!_

**Dual Wield**

_Unpause!_

Now Harry could be called smart. His intelligence score was much higher than an average kid his age. But one thing Harry had never considered himself as, was a perfectionist. But when life decided to shit on his luck, as it often did, he had never had a chance to really, _truly, _do it over again. But now he had his new life. As a sword wielding, spellflinging, Level 7 Apprentice Wizard. With a Load Game feature that was-

"So fucking useful! HAHA! Diffindo BITCH!"

_Charms Skill increased! It is now 35!_

"INCENDIO!"

_Combat Complete! You Gained 65 experience!_

_Loot: 3 Sickles, Rusty Sword, Bonemeal x2_

"WOOOO! OH FUCK!" Harry celebrated then immediately regretted making so much noise as the hallways echoed with the weird groaning of more skeletons. 6 to be precise.

_Combat Started!_

One was easy enough. 6? Well that'd be a challenge. Luckily they weren't the fastest. And Harry was never called slow. Except by Uncle Vernon but bugger that guy right? Harry quickly dispatched 2 more with Incendio, then switched to a more mana conserving style in case more came. Parry! SLAM! Harry blocked the attack of one skeleton before using the same motion to whirl in place and crush the skull of the skeleton behind him. The Sword of Gryffindor hummed through the air as he took out the leg of another skeleton causing it to collapse in a heap. Protego! Harry narrowly blocked the swing from a skeleton and the Shield Charm held up to the blow. Using his free hand he dispatched another skeleton with a parry, parry, swing. Blocking the next swing with his wand side before dropping his shield he blasted the skeleton with a Flippendo to free up some room to twirl in place and crush the skull of the legless enemy with a strong kick when it tried to grab Harry's leg. Another Parry! SLAM! Took care of the final skeleton.

_Sword Skill increased! It is now 26!_

_Combat complete! You gained 390 Experience!_

_Loot: 1 Galleon 4 Sickles, 3 Rusty Swords, 1 Rusty Flanged Mace, 1 Brass Bracelet, Bonemeal x 10_

Checking the nearby hallway entrances Harry nodded to himself when he discovered no further enemies, being sure to also check the ceiling for any Darkcloaks. He settled in the middle of the room and decided to let his Magicka and Stamina regenerate on their own, which they were doing quite nicely. Incendio definitely took a bit out of his bar but it was a strong spell against these skeletons. Checking his inventory, he Dismantled the rusty mace into an iron ingot but left the swords as they were stacking in 1 slot. The bonemeal would make for some nice fertilizer, but was also used in a few potions so he perused those options before deciding there wasn't anything he needed out of those.

What a rush! Harry thought to himself when he caught his breath. His first honest to goodness fight in the instance and surveying the carnage around him filled him with a sense of satisfaction. Sure his alternative life had been riddled with near-death experiences, which he remembered vividly, but underneath the fear and risk he couldn't deny that those moments were where he felt truly alive. Death had never truly frightened him, the words of Dumbledore describing it as merely the next great adventure while ironically true for Harry had also stuck with him.

Now though? With a Load Save buffer? He could truly enjoy the thrill of an honest to goodness fight to the death. Within reason of course Harry reminded himself. Wouldn't do him any favors if he became nihilistic merely because he had a glorified redo option. Deciding to take advantage for now though the Boy-Who-Lived stood up and dusted off his butt. Picking a random hallway he set off further into the Instance.

***Break***

_Ding! Level Up! You are now level 8! 16 Skill Points awarded. 58 Skill points unspent. 4 Stat Points unused._

Harry stabbed his sword one more time into the ghoul, using it as an armrest as he caught his breath. The hallway he had chosen had been full of enemies. It had been a run and gun scenario to take care of the crowd of skeletons before dispatching the ghoul with a lot of dodging and stabbing. The basilisk venom had helped but only seemed to affect the immediate area of his stabs on the fleshy undead. Once he had finally immobilized the shoulders to stop the freakishly strong creature from trying to make out with him, he had made short work of it.

Checking his watch, he saw that he had been within the Instance for a little over 6 hours. And secured a level! That had been some sweet icing on the cake. He had taken an hour to fiddle more with his settings, his minimap was larger now and his experience bar was now visible at the bottom of the screen along with his health, stamina, and magicka. A level was progress though and that felt good.

Stat points too. Apparently they were awarded every even level, half the value of his current level. That was… amazing. So at 10 he would get another 5. But much like his skill points it would bring diminishing returns after certain levels, in this case 2 points after 20, 4 after 40, and 6 after 60. There was a footnote that stated this was so that he wouldn't just max out a certain stat to the exclusion of all else. So his plan was to get everything to 20 first, then specialize. Therefore Harry brought Dexterity up to 20, and sunk the extra point in Strength as he was using his sword fairly often.

"Maybe I should get a tutor for swordsmanship, what do you think Kijani?" Harry asked his familiar, setting off down another hallway.

***Break***

The Chamber of Secrets was so much different as an Instance than it had been when Harry descended technically… 2 weeks ago? Wow. So much had changed. The largest difference is that he was very certain that the Instance was so much larger than what he remembered of the Chamber. There was also a distinct lack of undead before, Voldemort aside. And the antechamber was not this clean before. Harry had specifically remembered being very glad to take his clothes off after the incident, given how musty and stale everything down here had been.

There also weren't creepy dudes with gaunt faces milling about. The Statue of Salazar Slytherin was the same though.

_Stealth Skill increased! It is now 31!_

Not for the first time in the life of Harry Potter, either version, the boy was quite pleased with how useful his Cloak was. Currently he was sneaking around the edge of the large chamber as floating in the center of the room was the only reason he wasn't just patting himself on the back and leaving.

What was he supposed to do though when the same Basilisk that he was QUITE sure that he had killed was writhing in agony as crackling black-purple energy rushed through it? Leave and let them complete whatever foul experiment this was? As sorry as he currently felt for the magical beast though he was still a little glad that they had already taken the snake's eyes.

_Time remaining to stop Ritual, 30 minutes._

There was also that. When Harry had first peeked into the room he had been quite ready to cut his losses and simply let the Instance reset. Fate however had a different plan. When the Quest had popped up that had been more than enough for Harry to risk over 12 hours of progress on what might very well be a suicide mission.

_Timed Quest Started! Save the Basilisk! Reward: 20 Skill Points, 6 Stat Points, 2,000 Galleons, and 4,000 Experience. Warning! Failure will result in Instance increasing exponentially in difficulty for subsequent visits. Time Remaining to Stop Ritual, 35 minutes._

Harry floated yet another vial very carefully under one of the 7 crystals, securing it with a bit of string so that it dangled beneath the floating crystal, being very careful not to alert the gaunt men throughout the room. Luck was on his side as the room was dimly lit and the crystals were spread out evenly.

_Stealth Skill increased! It is now 32!_

Being very happy that he had the relevant ingredients for the Exploding Potions, even if he only had enough for 5, Harry got into position to launch what he hoped was a fiery awesome attack that would immediately swing the fight into his favor. Or it could blow up in his face, literally.

No time like the present, he thought to himself.

"Expulso" Harry whispered twice in quick succession. After the explosions rang out on the other side of the room, along with the tinkling of falling shards of crystal, Harry willed his cloak into his hot bar to avoid entangling or having an enemy pick it up once he started moving and used the distraction of the 2 explosions to fire 3 more Expulso's at the other vials. His aim was spot on luckily, and Harry dashed toward the nearest of the 2 remaining crystals.

"GET HIM!" Yelled the man at the podium that stood prevalent under the statue of Salazar. His 9 companions yelled war cries and dashed after Harry. Harry ducked under the red spell that one of the enemies had fired at him and with a roar swung his sword through the crystal, smashing it like glass.

"ARGH!" one of the men clutched his leg but was overlooked in the commotion by his allies, but not by Harry who marked the man with a color change spell and summoned Kijani who had slithered out of the man's pant leg. Best 30 points in Charms he had ever spent. The boon to increase the potency of charms by 10% was also extremely useful, especially for his next stunt.

"Defodio!" Harry intoned 6 times, whilst carefully dodging the spells, heavily taxing his reserves but putting enough damage on one of the pillars totip it over. The large pillar boomed off the floor but was tall enough that Harry could crouch behind it. Putting his cloak back on, the boy ignored the spellfire that splashed against the pillar next to him as he dashed away from the spot invisible to his enemies who were luckily directing their efforts to destroying the pillar they were sure he was behind.

His auburn hair matted to his forehead from the exertion he had already given, Harry quickly hid behind another pillar and ditched the cloak once more in favor of his trusty Nimbus. The next part of the plan relied heavily on the Basilisk being one pissed off snake, just hopefully a little less so at him. Taking a small moment to catch his breath Harry positioned the broom against the pillar and carefully used it to rise up parallel behind it, away from the watchful eyes of his enemies. Once he was near the top he kicked off of the pillar and fully mounted the broom. Time for some flying.

"I'm going to free you now, pleassse do not hurt me. I will be in the air!" Harry hissed out, praying that the Basilisk both heard and was able to comprehend him. The men quickly spotted the flying boy as he rounded the edge of the room, years of dodging bludgers being brought to bear as his broom went to and fro to dodge the spellfire. Harry returned fire and was able to clip one man with a Petrificus, but one of his allies was quick to reverse it.

Deciding to focus more on speed, Harry switched his wand back into his bar and dove towards the final crystal. With another roar he raised out his left hand, switched the sword into the hand and-

Pain! The sword of Gryffindor clattered against the floor as Harry lost his grip. The arm was brought to his stomach gingerly and he was forced to retreat as his wrist was broken by a lucky shot from the man behind the podium. Bonebreakers never get easier to be hit by.

Hissing as the gravitational force of breakneck turns aggravated the injury, Harry settled behind one of the pillars opposite his enemies. The pain was bearable thanks to his Gamer privileges but the hand would not take much weight. Bringing some cloth out of his Inventory and quickly wrapping the wrist tightly before hitting the makeshift bandage with a Fixing Charm to give it some stability was the best solution he had at the moment given the circumstances.

Spellfire smashed against the pillar and ceiling as the enemies finally got beneath where Harry had just been and had a good shot.

_Time to remaining to stop Ritual, 28 minutes._

Not needing the reminder but still noting it, impressive flying was needed as the enemies started to get used to Harry's speed and movement. Alternating his speed helped a bit but also further aggravated his wrist. He would need to thin the herd a bit if he was to have any hope of getting his sword. Spells had proved ineffective already as the Defodio Harry shot had merely bounced off of the magical crystal.

It was at this moment that Harry learned why Lord Voldemort considered Dark Arts the greatest magic. Sectumsempra smashed through the shield the squat man he had picked out of the crowd had raised, and with a look of surprise the man's head was separated from his neck.

Shock and disgust at his own actions had nearly cost Harry his own head as he pulled up short at his first real kill. Quickly the feelings were quashed to focus on the task at hand, and Harry shot 2 more Sectumsempra's at the crowd. One missed but the other one cleaved through an arm of a man that had switched to more lethal spells, forcing them to drop their wand. Hard to hold a wand when you don't have a forearm anymore.

With a little less spellfire heading his way Harry summoned the Sword of Gryffindor in what was probably one of the riskiest stunts he'd ever attempt on a broom. Time seemed to slow down as Harry headed for the crystal. To his right the sword whistled through the air, Harry rolled instinctively to dodge a pair of spells. The world levelled out again and our hero switched his wand into his hotbar. Seeker instincts screaming at him, his hand came up and caught the sword by the grip. Spinning horizontally at the slight cost of momentum Harry swung the sword through a spell without thinking. And the spell bounced off! The excitement of the discovery was dulled as Harry focused even harder and brought the broom right around again, barely a foot off the ground. The crystal floated ahead at a mere 4 feet above the ground. Bringing the sword up to his shoulder, Harry gripped the broom as firmly as he could with his left hand and corkscrewed violently underneath the crystal, cleanly slicing through it with the sword.

The world seemed to speed up again as multiple things happened all at once. Harry shot up to the ceiling as soon as he passed the cascade of falling remnants of the crystal. The odd crackle of the energy had ceased and in its place there was a heavy thud as the Basilisk crashed to the floor. There was a cry of surprise as 2 men were caught beneath the massive creature.

"SECURE THE BEAST! THE BOY IS MINE! BOMBARDA!" the podium man as Harry referred to him mentally scored an amazing shot onto Harry's Nimbus. The explosion seemed to crack a few ribs, and shattered the broom beneath Harry who shot into the air with his remaining momentum. Like most things, what goes up must come down and Harry was no exception. Protego protected him from 2 follow-up spells, and Harry shot off a Fumos Maxima to obscure himself from the spellfire long enough to cast Arresto Momentum which gave him a small reprieve from the terrible feeling of falling.

_Pause!_

This stopped Harry in midair and he sighed in relief. A blessed moment to think Harry thought as he stared upward at his own fog. His descent was swift enough that he had already escaped its range. If he had to guess, yep, he was about 35 feet from the floor.

"Think Harry, think! Okay, podium man has a spell already on its way. Green in color, probably an Avada. Basilisk, eating someone. Add that to the nightmare bucket. 35 feet is probably going to be 2-3 seconds without the Arresto. I'll need to drop the Arresto to prevent that spell from hitting me, the sword probably doesn't work on Unforgivables and testing is a terrible idea right now. So I'll have about 2 seconds to block a spell, send one back, and Arresto myself again so I don't break any more bones. Piece of cake right? Ugh. I cannot wait to get back to Hogsmeade and eat some cake. I'm going to stuff myself after this. Okay. Let's get this showdown over with. Merlin, I really hope the basilisk doesn't eat me" Using speech to center his thoughts Harry concocted a plan of action.

_Unpause!_

Summoning a rock into the path of the green spell Harry returned fire with "Sssectumsssempra" as the parseltongue actually came out faster than most of his options.

_Dark Arts Skill increased! It is now 20!_

"Arresssto Momentum!" Using the slightly more powerful parseltongue option Harry slowed himself just enough to only thud kind of hard as opposed to really hard. Rolling to his feet despite the spear of pain from his ribs Harry dodged another possible Avada just barely. The Basilisk was doing a fine job of keeping the other guys busy so Harry opted to sprint over to the still remaining section of the pillar he had brought down earlier. Podium man was flinging spells left and right, trying to hit the boy but dodging was one thing that our hero had always had a knack for. At least until fate decided that he had had enough luck for one day. Harry shot another parseltongue empowered Sectumsempra which overpowered the podium man's shield and lopped off his head and wand arm. Gruesome but nice. The bad luck however was that the final pair of bonebreakers impacted both of his biceps. Damn that hurt! And his arm's wouldn't respond to his wishes. He gripped his wand anyways, more out of desperation than any real intent to use it.

The only option Harry had was to lean heavily against the pillar as the sounds of the Basilisk and the small crowd of men continued on. Trying to control his breath as he could feel his broken rib poking against a lung if he inhaled too hard Harry prayed that the Basilisk was winning.

As in in answer to his prayers the noises stopped. There was a dulled thud that was hard to hear over his own heartbeat pounding in his ears. Using what willpower he had left Harry managed to get onto his feet and peek over the edge of the pillar.

"Are you o-" Harry ducked under a Bonebreaker aimed at his head. Of course the Basilisk would lose. That was some shit luck. He had been unable to tell if the beast was still breathing but there only seemed to be one man still standing after the fight. There was no notification of the quest failing so there was still a bit of hope. Smaller stature was always a sore point for Harry Potter, but here it helped out as Harry crouched jogged around to the edge of the pillar. He needed to get away from this guy long enough to figure out a plan. Useless arms, no broom. Not good odds.

"Come on out! This has gone on long enough!" The man yelled.

"Are you sure? I still feel pretty good. Your boss probably agrees with me, but he seems to have lost his head" Harry did the best he could to mask the pain in his voice. Yelling with broken ribs was definitely not what the doctor ordered.

"Yes. Thank you for that. Now I lead the Cult of Darkness!" The voice was closer, and kind of towards the podium.

"The Cult of Darkness? That's the best you could come up with? Plus isn't a one man cult kind of just a weird dude playing dress up?" Harry taunted the man, but made sure to turn and jog the other way down the pillar.

Which the man seemed to expect, as Harry pulled up short at the wand in his face.

"Now I've got you. Your little stunt is over now. The beast is contained. Your little snake may have taken out Charlamagne, but really you were only able to kill 2 of us. And now your arms don't even work. Hahaha! You have no hope. And now, you-" The man monologued at Harry's face but pulled up short when Harry simply said Accio.

"DIE! Avada Kedavr-" The man's killing blow ended in a gurgle as the tip of the Sword of Gryffindor protruded from the man's chest.

"You were saying?" Harry asked smugly as the Basilisk venom quickly ended the man's life. Luckily Accio didn't require much in the way of wand movements, so Harry was able to utilize the spell with the barest of twitches from his wrist. His bicep screamed in protest but he ignored it all the same.

It was over.

_Timed Quest Completed! Save the Basilisk! Reward: 20 Skill Points, 6 Stat Points, 2,000 Galleons, and 4,000 Experience._

_Ding! Level Up! You are now level 9! 18 Skill Points awarded. 46 Skill points unspent. 4 Stat Points unused. 1 Feat Point unused._

*Fin*

A/N: Man, what a ride. This was a tough one to write as I wanted to build a scene and explore the dungeon a bit more but as I said at the beginning writing out grinding is… well grinding. I hope that the fight at the end was to everyone's liking, I tried to make it cool without making Harry mop the floor with those guys.

The Cult of Darkness is a really lame name, but I'm unsure if I will even be using them again or not so we'll see.

Character sheet below!

**Harry James Potter**

**Age: 13**

**Class and Level: Apprentice Wizard 9**

**Health: 240**

**Magicka: 565**

**Stamina: 235**

**Stats**

**Strength- 11**

**Dexterity- 20**

**Constitution- 10**

**Perception- 1 (+10 with Glasses)**

**Intelligence- 20**

**Willpower- 10 (+5)**

**Magic- 20 (+15)**

**Charisma- 20**

**Luck- 31 (Locked)**

**Perks:**

Fated Luck: +10 to Luck always, -40 to Luck in certain situations.

Magical Powerhouse: +10 to Magic, +5 to Willpower, +10 to Magicka Regeneration, +5 to Learning when it involves Spells. Magicka now grows at a 1.5 rate vs the standard .8 of most Wizards.

Flyer: +20 Broom Handling, +10 Creature Handling if creature has wings.

Parselmouth: +35 to Parseltongue.

Family Heritage: +5 to Broom Handling, +5 Transfiguration, +5 Charms, +5 Potions.

Puberty = Truck: Puberty is going to kick your ass and put hair in so many places. I won't go into details. Affects 3rd year Summer.

Linguist: +2 to Learning when it involves Languages.

Represent: +5% Reputation Gains, -5% Reputation Losses.

**Disadvantages:**

Poor Eyesight: -8 to Perception without glasses or similar device. +10 with them on.

Chosen One: -20 to Luck in certain situations. +5 to Magic. Certain events are unavoidable. +25% Reputation Gains, +25% Reputation Losses.

**Feats**

**The Wand Chooses the Wizard but the Wizard Chooses the Spell: **+3 to Learning when it involves spells.

**Magical Aura: **+5 Damage Reduction to Spells. +10 to Social Skills against sensitive targets.

**Motion of the Potion: **Potions no longer require a 3 second Drinking Action.

**Crafty: **+5 Learning if it involves Crafting or Harvesting Skills.

**Magic Skills**

Transfiguration – 29

Boon: Size conversion ratio of Transfigured materials increased by 10%

Animagus Transformation – 1

Herbology – 25

Boon: Flora and Fauna that are Magical will glow in the Player's eyes.

Charms – 50

Boon: Charms Spells cost 10% less Magicka to Cast

Boon: Charm Spells are 10% more potent

Potions – 27

Boon: Splash Radius of thrown Potions increased by 25%

Astrology – 16

Defensive Spells – 26

Boon: Maxima Variant now able to be applied to Defensive Spells.

Care of Magical Creatures – 14

Divination – 8

Ancient Runes – 8

Arithmancy – 10

Dark Arts – 19

Alchemy – 2

Enchanting – 1

**Physical Skills**

Quidditch – 7 Keeper, 7 Beater, 12 Chaser, 47 Seeker

Boon Seeker: You are able to track the Snitch more readily! Snitch will give an indicator when it is about to change direction.

Running – 16

Jumping – 1

Weightlifting – 4

Swimming – 7

Acrobatics – 19

Climbing – 15

Sword – 26

Cloth Armor – 37

Boon: Regular Clothes Shmegular Clothes. Any cloth is armor! +1 to armor per slot if equipped item is Cloth. Robes provide +2 per slot.

**Social Skills**

Diplomacy – 25 (+5)

Boon: Heir to an Empire. As the youngest Lord in recent years people are eager for your attention. +5% Relationship Gains.

Intimidation – 25

Boon: Flux. You may now consciously flare your magic to those around you. Doubles effectiveness of Magic Aura Feat. Cost 2 Magicka per second. Stops Magicka Regeneration.

Performance – 4

Etiquette – 25

Boon: Now you're forked. Your skill in formal settings is improved! Delivers notification prompts in formal dining.

Flirting – 26

Boon: Lost in your eyes. Making direct eye contact will improve your chances of success when engaged in Flirting. -5 to DR rating of target.

Sense Intention – 10

Negotiation - 71

Boon: Wheelin' and Dealin'. You're able to negotiate down all but the scroogiest of people. Receive a 5% better deal when negotiating costs!

Boon: What's the absolute best you can do on that? More people are open to negotiations!

Chess – 13

Pranking – 20

**Stealth Skills**

Disguise – 3

Sleight of Hand – 5

Lying – 6

Escaping – 21

Stealth – 31

Boon. Toe-to-Heel. Your steps are now 50% quieter!

**Hybrid Skills**

Dueling – 25

Boon: Magical Shields are now 10% stronger

Broom Handling – 51

Boon: You have a need for speed and your broom realizes it. +10 MPH to max speed regardless of model!

Boon: While on a Broomstick, gain +10 to Dodge!

**Mental Skills**

Parseltongue – 100

Boon: Snakes have a predisposition of +2000 Reputation when you reveal yourself as a Speaker

Boon: Spells with a 'Sss' sound may be cast in Parseltongue for +5 Difficulty Rating to overcome

Boon: The nuances of Parseltongue make other languages seem easy. +1 to Learning if it involves Languages.

Boon Mastery: May have a magical snake as a Familiar that does not count against your familiar slot.

English – 70

French – 4

Gobbledygook – 2

German – 8

History – 15

Science – 9

Mathematics – 10

**Harvesting and Crafting Skills**

Clipping – 7

Skinning – 2

Tanning – 1

Cooking – 52

Boon: Live and Learn. You may recreate most meals that you have tasted or modify it as you see fit. +2 to level of meal benefits

Boon: Eye for Quality. You have a discerning eye when it comes to the freshness of ingredients. Less like to find or use expired or stale ingredients.

_Unspent 46_

_Class Specialization Apprentice chosen: +5% Exp Gain. +2 Learning. Unlocks Specializations Sorcerer, Mage, and Archmage at further levels._


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Hello again everyone. Been a little bit but less of a break then before! To start off this chapter I am changing some things with the timeline, obviously. If you can spot it, let me know in a review! This will be a fast chapter, moving things along again and getting further into the summer as the story has been dragging just a tiny tiny bit. I'll make sure to go over some of the big stuff this chapter but it would qualify as a filler episode in a lot of ways.

Review answers below.

SkylerHollow: Yes theoretically he could do that, I thought I addressed this in an earlier chapter but I've done a few edits so it might have gotten omitted. He is focusing on Stats that help him the most at the moment, as his Perception is okay as long as he does not lose his glasses. He may get them in the future but his status as an adult is only truly valid in the Wizarding world so until he has an adult that can vouch for him he's kinda stuck without them.

Genuka: Read and find out! We will be picking up where the last chapter left off.

Nina0116: You are absolutely correct, he is still 12. It's a minor thing so I probably won't fix it but good catch!

Calebros: Handsome is unisex. The definition of a handsome woman is one who is striking and imposing in good looks rather than conventionally pretty. I like (sorta) the actress that portrayed her but my Rosmerta is not that one.

AmyMarie5112: Thank you! I love Hagrid, he's featured in every book and plays a key role in the canon story along with probably the most quoted line "you're a wizard, Harry". Definitely underappreciated. Plus I've always thought it'd be cool if he was surprisingly good at a few things and very integral to the workings at Hogwarts so he's getting special mention throughout my story.

ReadingAngel: The pairings are coming up! Summer will probably come to a close in the next couple of chapters and with the introduction of the rest of the students Harry will start to come into his own in the dating scene. I've got a few pairings in mind but definitely want it to feel natural as opposed to rushed and weird. I will say that his status as a Lord will definitely come into play and we will see a few dates come from that factoid. I hope this sated your curiosity enough to keep you interested!

And away we go.

Chapter 8: Basilisks, Boomslangs, Books, Broomsticks, Bits and Bridles

"You were saying?" Harry asked smugly as the Basilisk venom quickly ended the man's life. Luckily Accio didn't require much in the way of wand movements, so Harry was able to utilize the spell with the barest of twitches from his wrist. His bicep screamed in protest but he ignored it all the same.

It was over.

_Timed Quest Completed! Save the Basilisk! Reward: 20 Skill Points, 6 Stat Points, 2,000 Galleons, and 4,000 Experience._

_Ding! Level Up! You are now level 9! 18 Skill Points awarded. 46 Skill points unspent. 4 Stat Points unused. 1 Feat Point unused._

What a crazy life he lived Harry thought as he turned and emptied his stomach's contents onto the floor, the realization of taking the lives of 3 men hitting him as the adrenaline quickly left him. Even the prospect of another level so soon after the previous couldn't appease his heaving stomach.

Killing was not something that he had a lot of experience with, even in his alternate life the only one to truly be killed by him was Voldemort who had most assuredly deserved it. Guilt of causing Cedric and Sirius' deaths aside. Finally his stomach gave up trying to earn forgiveness and Harry was able to straighten up and assess his surroundings.

And immediately screamed in fright as the Basilisk was sitting coiled in front of him with the head pointed straight at him.

"Quiet." The large beast hissed and Harry promptly stopped screaming, but hissed as his ribs launched a protest as his outburst and recent vomiting. His arms weren't quiet bystanders either.

"Hello Great One" Kijani slithered onto his master's shoulder and addressed the immense beast while Harry collected himself.

"Hello youngling. Are you this one's familiar then?" The Basilisk asked in what seemed to be a conversational tone. Kijani hissed an affirmation in return.

"Are you going to kill me?" Harry abruptly asked, with scenarios on how to avoid such an occurrence playing through his head. His odds were terrible.

"I debated on it while you were screaming like a tasty sheep" was the candid response

"But… you're not going to, right? I know I said I would be in the air but you see my broomstick was broken an-" Harry started rambling as his survival instincts started kicking in again in the presence of Salazar's Basilisk

"Quiet." Again the Basilisk cut him off, only this time the beast extended its head towards Harry until he could feel the hot breath from the large nostrils.

Slowly the mouth opened before him, and Harry was sure he would die. It kept opening until it could easily swallow 2 Harry's standing on top of each other.

There was a rancid smell of death, hot breath washing over Harry. The venom sacks were easily as large as a Quaffle and the fangs were as long as his forearm. Suddenly the mouth snapped shut and Harry slowly came to the realization that it was a yawn. The Basilisk had just yawned at him!

"I tire. The other wizards are dead and you do not seem to pose a threat to me at present, Speaker. Please open the way to my nest so that I can rest." The Basilisk slithered closer to the statue of Salazar.

"Will there be more wizards? Are you going to be safe?" Harry asked as his mind caught up with the strangeness.

"My eyes will return to me in a fortnight. You killed their Speaker, and Speakers are rare these days so it is doubtful that another will appear in that time. Rarer still that they will know the words to summon me. Do you know the password?" There was a moment of silence as Harry processed the thought of the eyes returning.

"Ssspeak to me Ssslytherin, Greatessst of the Hogwartsss Four" Harry said, remembering the last time that those words were spoken almost cost the school so many lives.

"Very good. Shame on Salazar for making this password only accessible by Speakers and not all snakes. I will return to my slumber, if you have need of me in defense of the school use the entrance at the end of the dungeon hallway guarded by the Ashwinder" The Basilisk slithered up the statue and soon disappeared from sight.

_Secret Passage discovered! Basilisk Defender acquired at Hogwarts!_

"She is beautiful" Kijani chimed in from his spot on Harry's shoulder. Harry chuckled in response and after a moment's hesitation gathered up every bit of loot he could find in the room, his trouble at killing people out of mind at the moment.

***Break***

Ahhh. Sweet fresh air. Sweet sunshine. Sweet apple pie. Harry smiled contentedly and pushed the remains of the pie that he had just finished away from him. He patted his belly and belched. Hagrid was away on an errand so Harry was eating alone but that was honestly fine with him. After a successful foray into the Chamber and 2 levels Harry was feeling quite happy. This was cemented once he successfully made it to his rented place at Hogsmeade without being seen and rested away the broken bones, which was made a bit easier with help from Dobby who had been happy to transport him.

Upon waking Harry had finished up his summer homework to not have to worry about it, and sent a letter off to McGonagall to inquire about the progress with his plans to retake the end of year exams. He also sent off a letter to Ron just to let him know that they'd probably get a chance to hang out before term began, leaving just enough left out to be sure to perk the ginger's interest.

It had been about a day and a half since the beginning of the descent into the Chamber so this left another day and a half before he would be meeting with the warding team and the Davis's. Heading to his rented property and after leaving Dobby with instructions on what to pack to get ready for his departure Harry rested again. Being able to sleep on command was honestly one of his favorite things, memories of sleepless nightmare-ridden nights being on his mind along with loveless summers spent working in the heat and misery.

***Break***

Diagon Alley looked much like it usually did when Harry visited, though just a tad more active than his previous visits this summer as more of the day to day resumed after the novelty of families being reunited had passed. Harry ignored many of the looks thrown his way and stepped confidently into Quality Quidditch Supplies.

Sure he could probably wait until Sirius bought it, but where was the fun in that? Besides with the earlier ruining of his Nimbus there wasn't a chance for Sirius to see him fly beforehand, therefore probably no chance to prove the need for it.

Stepping up to the counter Harry caught the attention of the surprisingly cute girl behind it. She did a double take at his scar but thankfully kept it together.

"Hello Lord Potter, here to browse?" She inquired politely. Harry placed her as a 6th year Hufflepuff so chances are she was used to seeing him around school. Thank goodness novelty tended to wear off quickly.

"Actually I was interested in buying your Firebolt, along with a few other supplies" Harry stated calmly, ignoring her look of shock

"Errrr… Okay, let me get a manager. Give me just a moment" And she stepped into a door behind the counter. Soon after she came back out followed by a middle-aged man that looked like a relative of Ludo Bagman.

"Good afternoon Mr. Potter. I hear you're interested in our Firebolt. Now I know that it says price on demand but it may be a bit out…" The man's condescending tone didn't sit well with Harry who straightened up in annoyance almost as soon as the man started talking.

"Let me cut you off right there. I came into your store today with the intent to buy the Firebolt. Maybe 2 or 3 of them. Along with quite a few supplies for my _personal_ Quidditch pitch" Harry made sure to stress the word personal "Now, you can keep talking to me like I'm a bloody child or you can take your commission like a smart businessman and talk to me like a customer or I can take my business elsewhere"

The man had the decency to blush and look sheepish "Apologies Lord Potter its just that Mr. Malfoy came through here earlier and requested that the display model be held for him. Its registration number is 0007 so he was very interested…" The man started to state this to Harry who simply got more and more of a bored expression on his face, Lord persona coming fully to bear.

"That sounds great. 7 is my lucky number. I'll take it." Harry stated this simply and the girl behind her manager stifled a chuckle.

"I can have one scheduled to be…" Harry cut the man off for a third time by pulling out his expanding pouch that he had linked with his money in his Inventory. He upended it and stared blankly at the man as galleons started pouring out.

"I. Said. I. Will. Take. It." Harry cinched the top of the bag and cut off the supply of coins, of which probably counted out in the thousands.

"I will also take 14 Nimbus 2001's, 14 sets of Quidditch robes, self-sizing of course and 3 sets of Quidditch balls. Throw in 14 sets of gloves to include 6 sets of Chaser, 4 beater, 2 Seeker and 2 Keeper for wasting my fucking time trying to tell me that saying Mr. Malfoy means a damn thing to me" Harry levelled his gaze at the man and merely cocked an eyebrow when the man seemed ready to argue. Finally the man gave up and set off to get the stuff, forgetting that he had a worker behind him who was hired for that task.

"That was bloody brilliant Harry, you almost looked like a Malfoy yourself with that attitude" The girl smiled at him and giggled.

"You wound me. Malfoys look like flobberworms in expensive clothes. I just hate being treated like a child" Harry shared a chuckle with the girl at the flobberworm jibe.

"I'm Linda by the way. Just let me know if there's anything else we can get you. I should probably go help my manager before he realizes I'm over here chatting" She smiled at Harry and set off to help the grumbling man in the window, taking the Firebolt off of the display.

***Break***

Dobby left with the Quidditch supplies, to place them in the on-site storage until the Pitch was readied. Harry sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He hadn't planned on buying all of that stuff but the opportunity to shove that guy's attitude back into his own face had been too tempting. Sure it hadn't put that much of a dent in his fortunes but living a life scrupulously and frugally like he had before was a hard habit to break.

He had kept one of the Nimbuses and the Firebolt in his inventory for use in his adventures so he at least accomplished what he wanted. Giving it up as something he wasn't going to undo, Harry set off to Flourish and Blott's to order a full stock for his library. It wouldn't have the rare books that he wanted, or at least not all of them, but all libraries started somewhere.

***Break***

"Are you sure you want such extensive wards, Lord Potter?" The warder asked again, reviewing the list of wards again.

"Yes. I am sure. I want to be safe in my home, and if that means buying damn near every ward you offer then that is a small price to pay" Harry replied again. The warding team was moving to and fro along the edges of his property in the distance, working hard to meet the request.

"Well, I guess I can't argue with a good payday" The older man pocketed the list and headed off to join his team.

"Well, you've certainly tried" Harry grumbled under his breath. Turning around on the hilltop that he was on Harry surveyed his new home. Positioned to overlook the lake, the large mansion was beautiful with slate stone exterior and warm colors with large marble pillars ringing the courtyard at the front of the house. Mid-level expansion charms made the interior a bit larger than one would expect, as Harry didn't want his property to be dwarfed by his home and was fully furnished. He would be officially moving in tonight once the wards were completed. Also in the front of the house was a garden decorated with hedge sculptures of various magical creatures. Leading up to the home was a gravel pathway that encircled the fountain on display with a statue of a Gryphon roaring the water into the air. Just a few meters from the home was a large Quidditch pitch with a small shed to house the supplies. To ring that there were more pillars to mark the boundaries. At the rear of the house was a stone deck patio, complete with fireplace and cooking area for entertaining guests. There was a small dock leading into the water with a self-rowing row boat for excursions out into the water.

Overall he was very happy with the design, and felt that it was a good marriage of expensive and rustic. It was a Lord's home, but it definitely lived up to the title of home. And Harry could not wait to show his friends!

***Break***

The Davis family home was … not quite lavish but definitely well off. For a family that has seen its fair share of scorn in the wake of the Blood Purity war, Mr. Davis had done a fine job of securing his family's safety and security as Harry passed another layer in the wards. There were hedges lining the drive up to the home, just about shoulder height on the growing boy. Just over them he could make out a herd of about 10 horses in a paddock to the right of the building ahead. It looked like the Davis's were equestrians. He could also just make out the shape of what he assumed to be one of the 2 house elves brushing a particularly fine looking stallion.

The house elf, Litty, that was leading him had been going over a brief history of the home that Harry had at least picked up a few conversation pieces from. Won in a bet over horse racing, the mansion had been in the family for 6 generations and with it came the very horse that had lost that bet for the previous owner. Since then the Davis family had taken to horse breeding as a hobby and side income, and had produced many winners over the years. While the current Lord of the house did not have as much a taste for it as his ancestors, the Lady of the house had been a muggleborn jockey for the family that had caught the eye of a young heir. It wasn't until the previous Lord and Lady passed away after catching the wrong crossfire during the war that Mr. Davis had been able to marry the young woman but since then the family had done well and enjoyed their life along with their daughter Tracy. Fallen from grace slightly the name Davis did not carry the weight that it once did but it was still included in many prominent circles due to its history and not terrible wealth.

The wards that the elf had been admitting him through were many, having already passed 3 checkpoints, and had been installed in the wake of the death of Mr. Davis's parents and his subsequent wedding with a Muggleborn, a fact that had earned him a black mark and a large target in the eyes of Voldemort's supporters. With the war in the past however the Davis stallions had again earned a place in the local races under the watchful eye of Lady Davis, and with it a position amongst the Lords and Ladies of wizarding Britain who either participated or watched those races.

"Good afternoon Lord Potter" A voice called out ahead and Harry saw the short petite woman who had won the heart of a Pureblood heir. She had lovely brunette hair, pulled back in a stylish but still practical ponytail with decorative braiding throughout. Her figure was slight, and her fitness was obvious. Years of riding horses had earned her many freckles but they didn't clutter her face and really only served to highlight her striking blue eyes.

"Good afternoon, Lady Davis I presume?" Harry bowed politely briefly before continuing the walk to the door "I did not expect to be greeted so graciously. You look lovely today, I can see why the grounds and home are kept to such a high standard if it is to have hope of standing up to your presence"

The woman cocked an eyebrow and snorted in a manner that had Harry chuckling immediately, "You do me a service with the compliments. Most Lords simply treat me as another servant in their oh-so-grand visits"

"Well, shame on them" Harry bent and kissed her hand as was the custom once he made it to the doorway. She nodded in approval both of his manners and his obvious disdain for Lords that treat Muggleborns in any way differently than Purebloods and made room for him and the House Elf to come inside.

"And how has your new home treated you?" She asked once the door closed behind Harry.

"Quite well, the construction was swift and to my specifications. The location was perfect and the warding team Lord Davis recommended met every expectation. A worthwhile investment" Harry took the moment responding to also look around the entryway. It was well decorated and had a lovely rug over the polished wood floors. Fresh flowers occupied the vases along the wall leading to a staircase going up to the second level. On either side of the stairs were a door leading off to the unknown.

"What bright flowers. They come from your fields?" Harry asked, making small talk as they went to the left of the staircase.

"Indeed. Pitty brought them in just this morning. Usually I leave them as snacks for the horses but Pitty insisted they be put on display." She replied as they set off down a hallway. There were only 3 doors, but they chose the one at the end of the hall which opened up into a large sitting room. The rear wall was primarily a window that overlooked the fields that must have been where the flowers came from. Hills rolled off into the distance and Harry could just make out a fence that ringed the edges of the property. Not quite as much land as he now owned but sizeable for the horses and quite well maintained.

Sitting in an armchair next to an empty fireplace sat Lord Davis, the same man that Harry had met just a few days ago. The man quickly stood up and shook Harry's hand.

"Harry, so good to see you! I hope there was no trouble getting here?" The man inquired in a friendly tone. A gesture to the House Elf sent her off, most likely for the tea that the meeting was for.

Lady Davis sat on the sofa near her husband while Harry took the offered armchair opposite Lord Davis.

"Of course. You so graciously provided a Portkey, that it hardly took a moment to visit your lovely home" Litty soon returned with tea and biscuits both of which Harry found to be quite delicious.

"It was no trouble. Now, tell me about your home. Did everything go well?" Small talk resumed, and Harry repeated what he had already said to Lady Davis.

"The lake is especially beautiful, I appreciate you finding such a great piece of land with little to no notice" Harry sipped on his tea while the topics turned to some new proposed laws in the Wizengamot, Lady Davis having a bit more to offer the conversation as her experience outweighed his own in those matters.

Soon a thudding could be heard upstairs, which quickly moved in the direction that Harry presumed were the stairs.

"Daddy! I can't find my riding gear! I think Pitty moved them again! I wanted t- Oh! Errr… Hello" Tracey Davis was every bit as cute as Harry remembered. A figure a little fuller than her mother's while still keeping the same height. A childhood of riding had also earned her the same freckles but her eyes were a mixture of both her mother's blue and her father's brown creating an attractive almost hazel.

Through gritted teeth Mr. Davis turned his head to his daughter with a smile plastered on his face, "Tracey dear, I'm sure you've met Lord Potter. He is here to visit for afternoon tea. You know. The tea that we told you about a few times over the past week?"

Tracey was blushing profusely as she had committed what was actually a fairly large faux-pas in high society. She obviously hadn't recognized him immediately and Harry merely glanced back and forth between her and her father who was doing his utmost not to show embarrassment, with an eyebrow cocked and hiding his amusement. With grace that Tracey did not expect Harry set his tea down and stood up, crossing the room in 3 strides and bowing before the young girl. Taking her hand and delivering a kiss to the knuckles he addressed her.

"Good afternoon, Heir Davis. I hope my visit hasn't come at a bad time" Harry smiled at her, as she got over her shock and recovered well enough to curtsy in what were obviously mostly riding clothes. Tight pants, and a sleeveless blouse covered by a leather vest. Certainly not the clothes you'd greet a visiting Lord with.

"Of course not, your Lordship. I let the days get away from me, and forgot the time of your visit. If you'll please excuse me, I'll change into some-" She started to try to say, before Harry cut her off.

"No" Harry stated with a smile, almost laughing at her shocked face.

"No?" She asked.

"No. You are not excused. In fact, I would be remiss if you did not join us" He almost cracked when she shot a furtive glance at her father who was watching the proceedings with a fair bit of interest.

"Surely I could not, Lord Potter. I would love to change into something more appropriate for afternoon tea" the young girl stated worriedly glancing again at her father.

"That's just it. I think that you are perfectly dressed. I'm not Malfoy you know, even if I do dress nicer now. And please, I insist you call me Harry. I've only been a Lord for about a week now and would love the opportunity not to be so uptight as to make you go through the trouble of changing when you already look quite striking as you are. If you are not opposed, Lord Davis. This is your home" Harry turned to address the man, who was looking equal parts amused, relieved, and shocked. Harry sent him a wink that helped secure the man's trust that no harm had been done with the interruption.

"Of course not. Please join us Tracey" Lord Davis indicated the spot next to Harry, and the small talk resumed even if the blush didn't quite leave Tracey's face as she observed someone so very different from the Boy-Who-Lived that had so often been a topic in the Slytherin Common Room.

***Break***

Henry Davis laughed uproariously at the joke that Harry had just finished telling. The mood of the room had become more and more relaxed as the talks went on, with Harry earning first name basis with all of the Davis family. They had just gotten done telling the story of the first flying lesson. There had been a fair bit of embellishment on Tracey's point of view as a bystander, but both parents were plenty impressed with Harry earning the title of youngest seeker in a century.

"Quidditch is about the only thing that my daughter loves as much as horses. If she's not taking her mare out for a run she is flipping through every magazine she can find to track her team" Henry offered. It wasn't his first factoid that the man had dropped in the conversation either, Harry had noticed. He took this as a good sign and turned to the aforementioned girl who had definitely calmed down since her untimely visit a couple hours ago.

"Oh really? I've never had the pleasure of riding a horse. Does it have many similarities to a broom?" Harry asked her. Henry nodded approvingly and shared a glance with his wife. It had not been the first time that Harry had spoken with her directly. This wasn't the most typical behaviour for a visiting Lord but very fews Lords were ever Harry's age.

"A few. Obviously a horse has more personality, unless we're talking about the school brooms, and there's a level of trust there that can't be found on a broom. But the feeling is completely different. You can feel the horse running and share a bond with it that a broom can't match" She said. She had steadily opened up during the conversation once she realized that Harry was not as full of himself as Malfoy had made him seem. She had even gotten comfy on the couch the way she liked to which Mr. Malfoy would have been sure to make a comment about. Her knees were pulled up to her chest and she was leaning heavily on the armrest.

It was also a position that proper clothing would not have allowed her to manage, and she was actually grateful that Harry had not had her change clothes as lengthy periods acting like a lady were very annoying to her.

"Interesting. I'd love to learn sometime. A broom will always be my first choice, but I'd be interested in the experience" Harry replied with another smile, the same smile that he had hit her with earlier when he asked her to join them. The same smile that was a combination of genuine happiness, teasing, and confidence. A smile that she was definitely not used to seeing on his face the few times that her and Daphne Greengrass had observed him in the Great Hall or in classes.

"Well the day is still young, and I do have a bit of business I should probably get to before supper. Why not today? Perhaps you could join us for supper afterwards Harry?" Henry offered. His Slytherin instincts were operating on full blast as he saw an opportunity for the two to interact a bit more before Harry left.

"Dad…" Tracey shot a warning glance at her father to match her warning tone.

"That actually sounds amazing, Henry, but it would be up to your daughter. I would not want to impose" Harry simply looked at the girl in question who was still glaring at her father for his unexpected offer. She realized that Harry was looking at her after a moment and blushed.

"Alright. But you should be prepared, I don't take this lightly" She warned him, eyeing his expensive clothes.

"I hope I don't make a fool of myself, how will I ever live it down" Harry asked rhetorically and chuckled.

"Perfect. Pitty, fetch Lord Potter some spare riding gear" Henry smiled as the two made their way to the side hallway that led to the entrance to the paddock.

***Break***

Horseback riding, it turned out, wasn't that different from riding Buckbeak. Which meant that Harry was passable at first. But after a few laps around the paddock Harry got what he was looking for.

_Ding! Skill Unlocked! Equestrianism has increased by 1! It is now 1!_

_Pause!_

Harry sank 14 points into the skill to bring it to 15, figuring that was high enough to impress Tracey but not so much that he would feel buyer's remorse from spending the points.

_Unpause!_

Almost immediately Harry noticed a difference, as the timid foal that Tracey had put him on responded more readily to his directions and he moved with the creature instead of trying to stay rigid in his seat.

"You didn't answer my question, Harry. What's the deal?" Tracey said from her place ahead of him, on the ground leading the horse to get Harry used to the feel.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked with a chuckle. He hoped she wasn't going to ask again.

"This. All of this. What's the deal? Term ended a week ago and you were still recovering from being thought to be the Heir of Slytherin. And! You very clearly had black hair. Since then you've been seen multiple times in Diagon, at the ministry, at Gringotts, with a Lord's ring and a completely new look and attitude buying houses from my dad. What's the deal?" She huffed at him.

"I had no idea you paid so much attention to me, Davis, should I be flattered or worried?" Harry asked dryly as her question hit a point that he wasn't sure he was ready for.

The horse stopped when Tracey did and she turned to Harry who was looking at her with a cocked eyebrow and a guarded expression. She sighed and resumed leading the horse around the paddock.

"I am a Slytherin. We keep tabs on future players, whether we like to or not, as who and what you know can change the opportunities that come up. I mean nothing by it, but of course we'd pay attention to someone proclaimed to be the Heir of Slytherin" She said, knowing she was probably pushing for information that she wasn't likely to get and risking ruining a fair bit of good progress with a potential groom. Merlin damn her upbringing she thought to herself as the thought of potential groom crossed her mind. That was definitely not on the table.

"I was woefully ignorant of my position in life, and had reasons to keep a lot of myself hidden behind facades and masks. So when an opportunity presented itself to step into the light and seize a lot of things I had wanted for quite a while, I took it. You know, the Hat almost put me into Ssslytherin" Harry hissed the last part in flawless Parseltongue, making the girl ahead of him jump in fright.

"Merlin, that is as creepy as the first time you did it" She glared at the boy after stopping the horse once again.

"Really? It sounds just like English to me" Harry mentioned off-handedly. He matched her glare with another blank look and cocked eyebrow.

"Stop looking like that. Even you would have to admit that it would be shocking. The change, not the Parseltongue. Less than a week ago you were perceived as a completely different person. It's almost enough to make one believe the Heir of Slytherin stuff." Tracey said this with crossed arms, not even pretending to lead the horse now.

"And what do you believe, Ms. Davis?" Harry asked.

"That's just it! I don't know what to believe. I barely knew you before, and definitely don't know you now." She argued back.

"Exactly. You don't know me. No one really does. They know, or think they know, the Boy-Who-Lived. Ron and Hermione know a bit, as they ignored the title long enough to get to know me. But the rest of the school? They know rumors, conspiracy theories, rhetoric passed through the gospel of Malfoy. The re-" Harry sighed and took a moment to see it a bit from her side, "Look. This is all new to me too. A week ago I was the unlucky orphan who was kept in a locked room for most of the summer. I had an opportunity to seize my Lordship, I took it. I had an opportunity to have a place of my own, I took it. I have an opportunity to reforge my image as I see fit and not let worry, or hyped up brats like Malfoy decide what that image should be. I'm taking it. That's all there really is to it" Harry gracefully hopped off of the horse and landed in front of Tracey with barely a splatter in the slightly muddy ground.

"Now, you can sit there and grill me on who you thought I was, or take me as you see I am now" Harry challenged her.

She stared at him for a moment with a thoughtful look, "Fine. I get it. I'm a Half-Blood in Slytherin, I know my fair share of perceived images being unfair. Let's start over shall we?" She extended a hand to Harry.

Harry looked at her for a moment as well, before smirking "We already started over when you showed up to afternoon tea in that outfit" and shook her hand before her shock could make her withdraw it.

***Break***

They had just finished a lesson on the canter, and she had shown some of her prowess on her mare with a few tricks on their obstacle course. This had prompted the confident girl to challenge him to a race, using any mounts in the stable. Harry, knowing he was without a doubt going to lose, merely asked which horse wouldn't mind some time in the field.

She had seemed almost puzzled by that question but stated that the gelding in stall 3 hadn't been taken out in a while. Harry quickly had the horse in question sorted out and actually seemed to hit it off with the lovely beast. It wasn't part of their breeding or racing stock, but it was still a great steed in its own right.

Setting the starting line at the exit of the paddock, they agreed to the finish line being a small line of trees in the distance, probably a quarter mile.

"You're going down, Potter" Tracey said with a challenging grin.

She wasn't able to crack him though and he merely smiled in response.

She huffed and had Pitty start the countdown.

"Go!" The high pitched voice of the House Elf started them both off at a sudden gallop, and it was pretty clear that Tracey had the advantage as she easily started to gain a lead.

"Hey Davis!" Harry shouted after about 30 seconds into the race.

"What Potter? Giving up already?" Tracey shouted back, excitement from the rush of the breakneck speeds bleeding into her voice.

"When I win, you have to come with me to the first Hogsmeade weekend!" Harry laughed uproariously as she slowed and looked at him in astonishment at the unexpected response.

"It's a deal then!" He shouted as he passed her, leading his steed to the right, away from her and away from their proposed course. She almost shouted at him, until she saw him hop onto his feet in the saddle! The horse maintained its impressive pace and she was astonished to see him barely blink an eye at the jostling that the gallop surely gave him. He turned to her and she could just make out his wink before he _jumped off of the fucking galloping horse!_

She shrieked, thinking he was surely going to hurt himself when he used his hotbar to bring his Firebolt into his hand and mounted it in a smooth motion.

"THAT'S A FIREBOLT" She shouted in astonishment.

"NO! THIS IS MY TRUSTY STEED!" Harry laughed aloud at her expression before using the broom's impressive ability to go from zero to one-hundred and fifty kilometers per hour in 10 seconds and shot off into the distance.

"That's a firebolt…" Tracey whispered to herself as she brought her horse to a trot.

***Break***

"You cheated," Tracey said simply.

"You said any mount in the stable. I had my Firebolt with me, and you said earlier that there were similarities between brooms and horses and brooms. Look, it even has stirrups!" Harry chuckled at her from his position on the large boulder he was seated on. The broom in question was laid across his knees. He had obviously gotten very comfy during the 5 minutes it had taken her to get to the line of trees.

"Obviously when I said mount I meant a horse. Not a bloody professional racing broom!" She said, the audacity of the move! She was still recovering from seeing Harry jump off of a moving horse, for Merlin's sake!

"Plus, I had no idea you had your broom with you. No idea you could _wandlessly summon the bloody thing. _And no idea you were going to ask me out during a race!" She said, trying to make sense of the position she now found herself.

"That is fair. But the fact remains, I beat you" Harry said with a chuckle.

Tracey bit her lip. She had to admit the whole move had a lot of balls, and she had been asked out in much worse ways by much worse people. Plus Harry did look striking with his windswept auburn hair, green eyes locked onto her hazel ones, that cocky smirk that she wanted to wipe of his smug face!

"Fine Potter. But before I give away my first Hogsmeade weekend you owe me a first date to actually see if you're useful outside of idiotic stunts!" She said with a firm tone.

Her stern face cracked into a blushing smile when Harry grinned at her "Ms. Davis, are you asking me out?"

*Fin*

A/N: Whew. What a fun chapter to write! And we have a date! Booya!

This chapter just kept pouring out once I decided to bring the Davis's into it. I didn't expect to finish it so soon! I hope everyone enjoyed it!

'Til next time!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Hello everyone and welcome to another chapter.

Review answers below.

Kairan1979: Thank you so much for the reviews! Yes everyone knows about the Chamber incident and the attack from the Death Eaters. I hope you're enjoying the story so far! Dobby is the reward for freeing Dobby from the Malfoys and he will be making many appearances throughout the story! Also in regards to the puberty perk, Harry has chosen to not only succeed where he failed but also try and succeed where he never really strove to go to before. He wants to lead a vibrant dating life, and if offered an opportunity to have puberty only last one summer, most people would have taken it. He also did not have many perk points left, so opted for that one over the other presented options at the time. I hope this helps answer your question.

NikoS90: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you're enjoying them. I always love the spontaneous laughter that can come from reading a good portion of any story and hope to provide many such instances for you as well as any future readers. I'll try to keep that tradition strong in future perks as well!

And away we go.

Chapter 9: Decorating, Doing, Dining, and Dancing.

Harry Potter sat comfortably at the edge of the dock, feet in the water, watching the sun creep below the horizon in the distance. The sky seemed almost painted in hues of red, yellow, orange and hints of purple. His belly felt full from the supper at the Davis's. This summer has been going extremely well.

Harry had returned from what had been intended as merely a visit for afternoon tea that had turned into a lesson on horseback riding, a date with Tracey Davis of all people, and a wonderful supper that had Harry in the good graces of both Davis parents. Life was good.

And to top it off Hedwig had returned with word from McGonagall, his tests were set to be taken at the end of the week. Once he passed those Harry would be able to qualify for taking multiple classes and hopefully getting the experience and skills he needed for a new stock in life. He had omitted Muggle Studies in his request unlike he remembered Hermione doing in his alternate life, but it would still be a solid work load. It was the thought of this work load that made Harry sigh and stand up.

Relaxing and watching the sun set at his new home was nice, but it didn't get anything done. And there was so much that needed to be done.

***Break***

A checklist is what he needed, Harry thought to himself as he made his way through the sitting room and into his study. He had already visited his Potions Lab in the basement and found it to be spectacular, the Ritual Room as he called it was bare mostly and Harry looked forward to preparing some of the enchants that he wanted once he figured out how to use the damn thing. The indoor pool that was tucked away was surprisingly large and he intended on using it quite a bit in the future, especially during the winter as the room had temperature controls. His Loom was set in a side room, near the rear of the home and looked intimidating with how many tools and bolts of cloth were in the room. That would be a fun side project once he got the hang of refining his Raw Acromantula Silk. He almost had too much to do and Harry was worrying that he put too much on his plate.

The Tannery was set a few meters away from the home and had extensive Runes set up in the framing of the almost lean-to style of the building that helped prevent the smells from going much further than the edge of the work area, his Blacksmith area that was attached to the side of the Tannery was supposedly well appointed but Harry had no idea what to do in there yet. He looked forward to finding out though.

His Dueling Platform had gotten a few spells thrown in it almost immediately, and Harry was very happy with the ward schemes built into the walls that absorbed most of the extra magic from the spells that hit it and fueled the wards of the home as well. Probably wouldn't take high end magic, but for practicing aim and combinations it was a fantastic set-up that he could see getting a fair bit of use.

The Mechanic's Shed that he had requested was a bit of a conundrum, he had been dragged along with Vernon to get the oil changed in the car a few times and thought he knew what to expect in that area but the sheer amount of tools and equipment were… daunting. Harry hoped that with a little practice and exploiting his Gamer advantages though that he would be tinkering in no time. Mr. Weasley would probably have a stroke just walking in there as Dobby had outdone himself with the equipment.

The study though, Harry thought as he flopped into his seat, was amazing. Dobby had thrown it in after inquiring where the Study would be in the architectural plans, Harry still remembered the squeak of disbelief when Harry said he didn't have one in the plans. "That will not do, Master Harry!" Dobby had exclaimed, and with very little input had put together a proper Master's Study for him. The room had an ornate desk, a leather armchair that Harry occupied behind it, 3 chairs in front of the desk arranged to allow any visitors to give their full attention to Harry. Along the wall was a bookshelf that had books on accounting, estate management, journals of successful leaders. There was a globe that doubled as a liquor compartment with a few rare bottles. Tucked into the drawers of the impressive desk were everything needed for entertaining high end visitors, along with the family ledgers and various logistical needs for the Potter name.

Overall the room was designed to intimidate and impress, while providing a functionality to Harry that he didn't realize he even needed. Namely there was a large painting that could be flipped into a blackboard for jotting down notes or in this case checklists along the wall, and it was where the Ward Book was kept for admitting people past the wards. He had already added the Weasleys all, the Grangers, McGonagall, Remus (though Remus didn't know this yet), Sirius, and Dumbledore. Harry had hesitated a bit at Dumbledore, memories of the schemes and machinations of the old man rearing their head, but knew that it would be ill advised not to have the man's questionable help readily available in case of emergency.

_Ding! Skill Unlocked! Logistics has increased by 1! It is now 3!_

Logistics had been a fun unlock that Harry had received almost immediately upon reviewing his ledgers that had a magical link to his records at the Ministry as well as Gringotts. It was a skill that assisted in planning and managing, and worked so extremely well with his Intelligence score that Harry had been very tempted to dump points straight into it. Luckily the very skill in question saved him from that mistake as he realized that it would level up on its own quite easily when he was doing tasks just as he was now.

Harry had a long list of things to do at the moment, and the list seemed to grow more often than it shrinked, but it needed to be kept straight and orderly if he was to have any hope of completing it. On this list were things like learn Blacksmithing, get an outfit for the date, pick the swatches for Dobby to decorate the bedrooms with, and in adorable block letters at the bottom right of the board Dobby had been sure to write REMEMBER TO EAT just in case Harry had forgotten. It still made Harry chuckle a bit when he read it.

***Break***

Completing tasks on this list proved almost as fun as putting them up on the board, as Dobby would happily cross it off of the list for him once the task was completed. He could hear the excitable Elf upstairs, moving furniture and magicking the fabrics into the styles that Harry had selected from the offered swatches. Maybe he should get a companion Elf for Dobby, and this too made it onto the board that was swiftly becoming filled.

Dancing lessons. That was an interesting list item but one that Harry knew couldn't be avoided as it had heavy connotations on his date with Tracey that was just around the corner. Grabbing his shoulder bag Harry glanced over the room once more before tapping the Rune scheme that dimmed the lights and exiting the room. He had a muggle dance studio already arranged for lessons.

Heading right out of the room Harry headed to the sitting room that was off of the entry, where the Floo connection was set up. A pinch of powder had him off to the Leaky and quickly into the muggle world where he was able to make it to the dance studio with little issue. His outfit was loose but stylish, suited for dancing without looking ridiculous on him.

The dance studio was small but had a fair amount of attendees ranging from a few years below Harry to almost triple his age. Perfect, he would not look too out of place here. He just hoped that he did not make a fool of himself. The instructor was a slight blonde, who had the beginnings of laugh lines showing on her face, who seemed to have earned the respect of many of the people in the room as they quieted almost immediately when she took her position on the raised platform at the front of the studio. The mirror provided Harry with a nice view of her shapely behind, that served to distract him for just a moment before she started talking.

"Welcome old and new, a few rules. No half-assing. No fighting. No bullying. And no bullshit. For one reason or another you're here to learn. My name is Instructor Madeline, you can call me that or simply Instructor. Now, I see some new faces so we will start off simple. If at any point you seem lost just do your best, there's no shame in not knowing the steps but they will come to you eventually" With a nod she used a remote in her hand to start the music.

Almost immediately Harry started sweating from exertion, but he had a big grin on his face. Dancing was fun!

Skill Unlocked! Dancing has increased by 1! It is now 1!

***Break***

In between taking in deep breaths, Harry took a swig from the chilled water in his bag, courtesy of a stasis charm from Dobby. Around the room the other students milled about chatting with friends new and old. The music had been dulled but was still running in the background.

Harry felt someone come up behind him and turned to see Instructor Madeline. Dropping the bottle onto his bag Harry turned to meet her approach.

"You move pretty well. New to this or just my studio?" She asked after returning his greeting

"New to this. I'm glad I was able to keep up at least for a little bit. I've tried dancing in the past but never in a class, I have to say you run a good one" Harry smiled

"Fencing, or Martial Arts?" She asked bluntly

"Excuse me?" Harry asked in return

"Your movements. You either have experience with swordsmanship or experience in Martial Arts. Or both perhaps?" Harry eyed her shrewdly, not liking when anyone assumed anything about him.

"Swordsmanship. What does that have to do with this class?" Harry adopted a guarded tone

She laughed and raised a hand in placation, "Sorry sorry, dancing can make me a bit intense. I don't mean anything by it. I just have a friend nearby that runs a class on things like that. I attend myself so I was able to recognize some of the movements. If you're ever looking for a place to practice those skills just let me know. I think I have some cards in my office"

Madeline started to walk away but Harry stopped her, "Actually that sounds pretty good. Could I get one of those before I head out?"

***Break***

Tracey Davis eyed her wardrobe intensely, willing it to unveil its secret machinations to her. Daphne raised her eyebrow in such a way, visible in the mirror at the back of the wardrobe, that Tracey spun to face her.

"What?" Tracey asked indignantly.

"Nothing." Daphne responded cooly, seeming more interested in her well manicured nails than her friend.

"You keep shooting that damnable eyebrow at me so I know it's not nothing. What?" She asked again.

"Just unexpected is all" Daphne responded, lifting her gaze just enough to shoot another eyebrow at her best friend.

"Well of course it's unexpected Daph. I certainly didn't plan for Harry bloody Potter to show up at my house this summer, or to ask me out on a bloody date! Who leaps off of a horse in full bloody gallop to ask a girl out on a date?" Tracey huffed in annoyance and returned her attention to her wardrobe, where she grabbed a summer dress to eye it critically before tossing it over her shoulder to land on the growing pile of clothes behind her on the floor.

"Hmmm" Daphne responded helpfully.

Tracey sighed heavily. Sometimes being best friends with the Ice Queen of Slytherin had upsides. Other times, like now for instance, it was annoying.

"Look. I couldn't just say no Daph. He jumped off a bloody horse to ask me out on a date. You didn't see it. It was… stupid and so bloody Gryffindor of a move that I damn near died of a heart attack. But he's… different this summer. I have an opportunity to get ahead of the heads that he is going to be turning this year. He's a Lord too now, you know?" She selected a knee-length skirt and tossed it onto the bed, she could do something with that if she could find the right matches.

"Never took you for one to fall for Gryffindor tricks. But since you did I suppose I should help you figure out how not to make a complete fool of yourself" Daphne said as she walked up to the bed. She caught Tracey's eye and picked up the skirt. The same judging eyebrow came up, before she very slowly tossed the skirt into the pile on the floor. She didn't say anything else just resumed her position on the chair against the wall.

"Gaaaaahhhh!" Tracey groaned in annoyance and restarted flipping her way through the clothes still hung up in the wardrobe.

***Break***

Harry straightened his Acromantula silk robes. They were slate gray in color, and highlighted the green tie that he was wearing. He had on a gray button-up shirt and slacks underneath that were fashionable but would hold up in a dance no matter how intense. The ensemble worked to highlight his green eyes and red hair as well. Overall he thought he looked quite dashing, and Dobby agreed. He grabbed the corsage from his end table and pocketed it. One great thing about robes was the size of the pockets. Very practical.

Giving himself another once over and fixing an errant lock of hair, Harry nodded confidently to himself and made his way to the Floo. Date night had arrived and he had made quite a few preparations for tonight.

"Davis Manor" sent Harry spinning through the Floo and he gracefully exitted into the sitting room from his previous visit. Quick spellwork had the dust removed from his outfit in time to greet Mr. Davis as he came into the room. The two men made small talk for a minute before they heard the echo of steps from the stairwell.

Tracey entered the room in a splendor, her hair was pulled up in stylish braids that left enough framing her face to paint a picture of her blossoming beauty. She had on a matching gray dress that was practical but suited her very well. Harry grinned as he waited as custom dictated for her to walk up and curtsy. Taking that as his queue he bowed and kissed her hand.

"You look amazing, Heir Davis" He offered politely, keeping the greeting formal in light of the presence of her father nearby.

"Thank you, Lord Potter. You look quite well dressed, I almost fear I'm under-dressed" She said with a hint of nerves bleeding through. His robe alone cost more than her entire outfit and she had diamonds in her ears!

"Nonsense. I look plain in comparison" Harry shook Mr. Davis's hand once more, and grinned at the man's smug expression. "Thank you again for allowing me the chance to take your daughter out tonight, Lord Davis"

"Of course. You'll take care tonight? I'd hate to have to hunt you down" The man matched Harry's grin with a warning grin of his own and gripped Harry's hand significantly tighter. The younger man was unshaken though.

"She will be home safe and sound and at a reasonable hour, I assure you" Harry said warmly, not acknowledging the hearty grip his hand was entrapped by. Mr. Davis nodded in response and let his hand go.

Harry turned and bowed once again to Tracey, bringing out the corsage and placing it onto her wrist with her permission. It was a lovely arrangement that brought a bit of green to her attire to match his tie. She nodded approval and took his offered arm.

Mr. Davis shot her a look that said "No shenanigans" and made way for them to get to the Floo.

He almost squawked in surprise when Harry shot him a cheeky grin and said "Potter Manor" before whisking away with his daughter.

His manor!? What was that boy thinking?

Tracey had the same thought when she smacked his arm away from him and stormed out of the fireplace only to turn and face him.

"What nonsense is this Potter? Your manor? What kind of girl do you think I am?" She crossed her arms in defense. She was in an unfamiliar environment with an admittedly unfamiliar boy, at a place that she had no intentions of being at any time soon.

Harry nodded in acceptance of the distrust. He made a show of placing his wand on the end table nearby, noticing the flinch she had when he brought it out.

"I admit, it was poor form. But for us to have a proper date, idiotic stunts included, I wanted to bring up a proposal. We both know that the restaurant that your dad had picked was full of other noble lords that would love nothing more than to brood in jealousy of the Heir Davis, and it would honestly lead to a pretty boring night" Harry began, his hands held up so that Tracey could see them at all times.

"Boring, am I? If I had known that you simply thought I was some floozy that you could bring your bloody manor for Merlin knows what, I never would have accepted this date in the first place. Move, so I can go home" Tracey looked offended and hurt by the thought that Harry would think she was just some fling that would do whatever he wanted just because he was a Lord.

"No. On the contrary it's because I don't think you're boring that I cracked this hair brained scheme in the first place. Let me make my offer, and if you still say no then you can leave. Deal?" Harry said, not moving but also not dropping his hands. Knowing that if he moved wrong he would give the wrong impression.

Tracey kept her guarded expression and posture, but indicated him to get on with it.

"The restaurant that your father picked has Lords and Ladies from all over wizarding Britain at almost all times. It is an uptight place where decorum and etiquette are hyper analyzed and judged. I don't want that, and I'd hazard that you don't either. It's like bringing out a prize stallion to entice potential customers" Tracey nodded at the analogy, having had the same misgivings about the date night as well, "It's not fair to you, and not fair to me. So, my counter offer is that I have a Portkey in my front right pocket. Its activating phrase is the name of the capital of Spain, where I have made a reservation at a fantastic restaurant. Next to this restaurant is a dance club, where we can enjoy one another's company in a relaxed environment. If you accept this offer, I will give my House Elf instructions to head to your manor and inform your father of the change of venue so that he does not worry too much. He'll probably still have my head, but it's still better than being dangled in front of other Lords of Britain like a piece of meat. If you'd like to use the Floo to call him yourself or even head home, you may do so now"

Harry kept his hands up and walked to the side, away from his wand, and gestured to the pot of powder on the mantle above the fireplace. Tracey eyed him for a moment before walking up to the mantle. She glanced at him again and grabbed the lid of the Floo powder before biting her lip and instead placing the lid back and grabbing his wand to tuck it into her bag.

"I accept your offer Potter, but I keep the wand tonight. That is my requirement." She looked him in the eyes and dared him to challenge her.

"That's more than I was expecting. Thank you. Dobby!" Harry called his House Elf, who arrived adorned in a uniform showing his loyalty to House Potter. He looked like a tiny butler. They had talked about this occurrence and Dobby merely looked expectantly at his Master.

"Please inform Lord Davis that we will be going to Spain for dinner and dancing. Return to us with his acknowledgement. Thank you. Also request a portkey, for the lady, should she find my company unsatisfactory" Dobby bowed deeply and disapparated.

Tracey's shoulders lost some of the tension at the mention of the Portkey. This was all so unexpected and she had been on guard since Harry had brought her to his Manor. Understandably so, there were always rumors of Lords taking advantage of situations when courting other Heirs and many of them were quite true. She still was mad at being taken by surprise, but she also appreciated that Harry had taken multiple steps to put her at ease. He even gave up his wand, if it was his actual wand, which many wizards and witches would never do. It was the Portkey that sealed the deal for her. Having basically an escape as soon as she needed it would be the sense of security that she needed to be able to go through with such a stupid idea as basically kidnapping her and running off to Spain of all places. Spain!

Dobby reappeared soon after, "The Lord Davis has sent me with immense dissatisfaction with your, and I quote this, stupid half-baked Gryffindor nonsense. He was appeased slightly that you told him where you were going and sent along a Portkey for the lady. The activating phrase is the name of the first calf that you delivered with your Mother, Heir Davis"

Tracey nodded, knowing that such a phrase would surely have come from her father himself and it was not a ploy on Potter's part. This served to make her lose the last bit of tension in her shoulders and allow her to enjoy what was sure to be at least an interesting night. Spain! Stupid Gryffindors.

Harry grinned when he noticed her change in demeanor. It was a stupid idea, but also a bold one. Could he have done it differently? Probably. But he doubted any other way would have allowed him to take her to Spain. He offered her his arm, and after a moment she took it. Vivid green eyes met hazel ones and Harry said the phrase to whisk them away.

"Madrid"

***Break***

International Portkeys were known for their lengthy travel times. So when the dizzying spinning finally ended, Harry was happy that he was able to keep his feet and with it, able to support Tracey when she almost lost her balance. The city was gorgeous. Tall grand buildings of superb architecture surrounded them. They had arrived in a private corner of a park, one designed for use with international Portkey travel. People bustled in the street nearby and Tracey took a moment to take it all in. Her mother was Muggleborn sure, but it was rare that she was able to truly immerse herself in the Muggle world in any fashion. London had its merits, and its interesting places, but did not hold a candle to the amazing scenery that played around her. Street musicians music permeated the air and the people had an energy to them that only came from being in a warmer client in a city well known for having an active nightlife.

Harry waited for her to collect herself, before setting off across the park. He took a confident left once they made it to the sidewalk and headed off down the street. It took Tracey a moment to see that he had lost the robe at some point and chose to point it out.

"I can't reveal all of my secrets, Tracey" Harry replied, irking her with a cheeky wink. She had not noticed him place the robe into his Inventory in order to blend in better with the Muggle scenery. He had replaced it with a stylish embroidered vest that suited the Spanish themes surrounding them.

He laughed at her grumble and guided her across the street. A few buildings down they found the restaurant, La Terraza. A hostess greeted them inside and to Tracey's immense surprise Harry responded in flawless Spanish, courtesy of a long night skimming Spanish primers and dictionaries and using a few skill points to bring it to a respectable level. She didn't need to know that though. They made their way up the elevator, Tracey's anticipation rising, and she audibly gasped when the doors opened. The view was spectacular, with the lights and sounds of the city only serving to enhance the experience as opposed to take away from it.

They were guided to a table set away from the others while still offering an amazing view of the city. Harry pulled her chair for her and helped her get seated before taking his seat and speaking to the waiter in crisp clear Spanish.

"What the bloody hell, Harry! This place is amazing!" She took a sip of the water that was already on the table and took it all in.

"Thank you. I had some help from your mother in selecting the place, apparently her and your father had been here once and found the whole experience very nice" Harry grinned from across the table.

"Wait, my mother knew about this?" She asked in disbelief. She couldn't think of a time that Harry would have been able to ask her about any of this.

"Of course. I asked her about it when I beat you on the race back to the house. She had seen my little stunt and was waiting for us in the paddock. I had just enough time to ask her about a destination date and where she would recommend it. She helped set the whole thing up" Harry laughed at her expression.

"You're a prat. You let me believe that you had abducted me without my parents having any knowledge!" She glared at him, accusatory.

Harry made a placating gesture with his hands, "I would never do something so untowards. I had an opportunity to prank your dad, and you, just a little bit. My apologies if it came off as too much. Your mother was in the side room and alerted him immediately to your whereabouts and helped secure his trust that I didn't have any ulterior motives. She also had the Portkey already prepared for Dobby's arrival in case you said yes, with my funding. I'm sure the message he brought back with him was purely from your father though. I'll have something to hear about this, I'm sure"

Tracey rolled her eyes and smiled warmly. It fully soothed her that her mother had been in on this from the beginning, and she resolved herself to enjoy the night. The waiter arrived with some bread and mulled wine, the restaurant making an exception to any drinking rules as they were quite familiar with the eccentricities of wizards, and with Harry's help they were both able to order the food they wanted.

***Break***

Tracey took another bite of her delicious dessert, and watched the scenery of the city below for a moment before turning to watch Harry polish off the last bite of his own dessert. The dinner had been fantastic. The portions were reasonable and she was actually looking forward to the dancing. She figured her mother must have mentioned that Tracey enjoyed dancing, another activity that augmented the young equestrian's already impressive fitness.

Harry smiled when he caught her eye, and also turned to watch the scenery with her. They had talked about a lot of things, from school to Quidditch, what subjects they were looking forward to, all the way to various anecdotes from their young lives. She had been shocked to hear that Harry was going for an all electives year. It wasn't unheard of by any means but showed a level of ambition that many students did not display, but her Slytherin side certainly appreciated. After asking about it, she had been surprised to hear that he had been holding back in classes for reasons he didn't comment on and she had had some fun quizzing him about various topics from their last 2 years. He was refreshingly knowledgeable and the conversation had been fun.

She side-eyed the check when it arrived and almost choked on her water when she saw the amount. Harry didn't bat an eye however and did not comment either. He looked at her expectantly once the meal was paid for and she nodded at the unasked question. They both rose from their seats and were able to make it to the elevator with little trouble. Harry grinned confidently. The night had netted him a few points in etiquette and flirting, to go with the points he had earned from his visit with the Davis family just the other day. It had been a good week so far and the night wasn't even over.

***Break***

The dance club was like fire, if the restaurant had been ice. The music was loud and active, the crowd young and energetic, and Tracey immediately broke out into a big smile. Harry smiled at her and took her hand before confidently leading her onto the dance floor. This was it, the big moment. Hopefully the crash course in dancing and the heavy investment of the skill points he had left, along with some embarrassing practice sessions whenever he had a moment, would be enough to impress Tracey with his skill or at least lack of ineptitude on the dance floor.

It was. Tracey laughed wholeheartedly and danced her heart out, leading and being led in various dances as the music changed. There was no cliche moment of the dance floor clearing for the two to strut their stuff but they enjoyed the tempo and one another's skills. Finally the music settled down and they took a moment to claim a table that was clear. Harry ordered a couple waters for the two of them while they caught their breath.

"Oh! That was so much fun! I had no idea you were so good at dancing Harry!" Tracey's smile was bright and genuine and perfectly matched the smile Harry had.

"I could say the same to you! I'd been taking lessons but it's pretty clear I should have taken them from you! You're great out there" Harry nonchalantly took her hand in his on the table, and they both simply smiled at one another while their chests heaved from the exertion and they waited for the water. Luckily they did not have to wait long and both gratefully drank their fill of the refreshing liquid.

Tracey blushed when she saw that Harry still had not taken his hand from hers. Some of the dances, in typical Spanish fashion, had been a bit sexual in their undertones but Harry had been nothing less than a gentleman and had been able to sense what she was and was not comfortable with in all of the dances so far and had not pushed her boundaries in any way that made her uncomfortable. It was truly a night to remember.

But like all nights it had to come to a close and after another few dances, including 2 slow songs that had Tracey closer than she imagined herself to Harry that night, Harry brought her attention to the time and they made their exit, hand in hand. The walk back to the park was quiet, but peaceful. The warm breeze that rolled through the streets refreshed and exhausted Tracey at the same time. In less time than she would have liked they made it back to the Portkey location.

"Thank you for the wonderful night, Tracey. I'm glad you took a chance with me" Harry said, holding both of her hands in his as he stood opposite her. She smiled up at him warmly, feeling completely relaxed with her hands in his.

"I'm glad I did too. This was such a great night. Thank you, Harry" Tracey fiddled with her lip for a moment before looking up into Harry's striking green eyes.

His eyes met hers. Both of their hands were equal parts warm and cold, and Harry could swear he felt his heart beating through his chest. But like any Gryffindor he rose to the challenge and leaned his head down ever so slowly. Tracey stiffened for just a moment but relaxed immediately and leaned her head up and their lips met.

Just wait until Daphne heard about this.

*Fin*

A/N: Awwwww :) I had so much fun writing this chapter.

Just to make a few things clear, always always always get consent. Never pressure another person into anything, no matter how big or small. Also I have never been to Spain, so I have no idea what to write about certain scenes. But it felt like a fun twist to a date night. I think Harry performed admirably!

'Til next time.

**Harry James Potter**

**Age: 13**

**Class and Level: Apprentice Wizard 9**

**Health: 240**

**Magicka: 565**

**Stamina: 235**

**Stats**

**Strength- 11**

**Dexterity- 20**

**Constitution- 10**

**Perception- 1 (+10 with Glasses)**

**Intelligence- 20**

**Willpower- 10 (+5)**

**Magic- 20 (+15)**

**Charisma- 20**

**Luck- 31 (Locked)**

**Perks:**

Fated Luck: +10 to Luck always, -40 to Luck in certain situations.

Magical Powerhouse: +10 to Magic, +5 to Willpower, +10 to Magicka Regeneration, +5 to Learning when it involves Spells. Magicka now grows at a 1.5 rate vs the standard .8 of most Wizards.

Flyer: +20 Broom Handling, +10 Creature Handling if creature has wings.

Parselmouth: +35 to Parseltongue.

Family Heritage: +5 to Broom Handling, +5 Transfiguration, +5 Charms, +5 Potions.

Puberty = Truck: Puberty is going to kick your ass and put hair in so many places. I won't go into details. Affects 3rd year Summer.

Linguist: +2 to Learning when it involves Languages.

Represent: +5% Reputation Gains, -5% Reputation Losses.

**Disadvantages:**

Poor Eyesight: -8 to Perception without glasses or similar device. +10 with them on.

Chosen One: -20 to Luck in certain situations. +5 to Magic. Certain events are unavoidable. +25% Reputation Gains, +25% Reputation Losses.

**Feats**

**The Wand Chooses the Wizard but the Wizard Chooses the Spell: **+3 to Learning when it involves spells.

**Magical Aura: **+5 Damage Reduction to Spells. +10 to Social Skills against sensitive targets.

**Motion of the Potion: **Potions no longer require a 3 second Drinking Action.

**Crafty: **+5 Learning if it involves Crafting or Harvesting Skills.

**Magic Skills**

Transfiguration – 29

Boon: Size conversion ratio of Transfigured materials increased by 10%

Animagus Transformation – 1

Herbology – 25

Boon: Flora and Fauna that are Magical will glow in the Player's eyes.

Charms – 50

Boon: Charms Spells cost 10% less Magicka to Cast

Boon: Charm Spells are 10% more potent

Potions – 27

Boon: Splash Radius of thrown Potions increased by 25%

Astrology – 16

Defensive Spells – 26

Boon: Maxima Variant now able to be applied to Defensive Spells.

Care of Magical Creatures – 14

Divination – 8

Ancient Runes – 8

Arithmancy – 10

Dark Arts – 19

Alchemy – 2

Enchanting – 1

**Physical Skills**

Quidditch – 7 Keeper, 7 Beater, 12 Chaser, 47 Seeker

Boon Seeker: You are able to track the Snitch more readily! Snitch will give an indicator when it is about to change direction.

Running – 16

Jumping – 1

Weightlifting – 4

Swimming – 7

Acrobatics – 19

Climbing – 15

Sword – 26

Cloth Armor – 37

Boon: Regular Clothes Shmegular Clothes. Any cloth is armor! +1 to armor per slot if equipped item is Cloth. Robes provide +2 per slot.

Equestrianism - 15

Dancing - 50

Boon: Quick learner. You are able to learn the steps of most dances after watching the dancing of those around you.

Boon: Light Feet. No need to be a clunky double left footed troll. If, and thats a big if, you are unfortunate enough to step on your partner's feet there is a good chance that they will not even notice. Not perfect, but a good feat for the Gamer that doesn't want to pay for foot surgery.

**Social Skills**

Diplomacy – 25 (+5)

Boon: Heir to an Empire. As the youngest Lord in recent years people are eager for your attention. +5% Relationship Gains.

Intimidation – 25

Boon: Flux. You may now consciously flare your magic to those around you. Doubles effectiveness of Magic Aura Feat. Cost 2 Magicka per second. Stops Magicka Regeneration.

Performance – 4

Etiquette – 31

Boon: Now you're forked. Your skill in formal settings is improved! Delivers notification prompts in formal dining.

Flirting – 31

Boon: Lost in your eyes. Making direct eye contact will improve your chances of success when engaged in Flirting. -5 to DR rating of target.

Sense Intention – 10

Negotiation - 71

Boon: Wheelin' and Dealin'. You're able to negotiate down all but the scroogiest of people. Receive a 5% better deal when negotiating costs!

Boon: What's the absolute best you can do on that? More people are open to negotiations!

Chess – 13

Pranking – 20

**Stealth Skills**

Disguise – 3

Sleight of Hand – 5

Lying – 6

Escaping – 21

Stealth – 31

Boon. Toe-to-Heel. Your steps are now 50% quieter!

**Hybrid Skills**

Dueling – 25

Boon: Magical Shields are now 10% stronger

Broom Handling – 51

Boon: You have a need for speed and your broom realizes it. +10 MPH to max speed regardless of model!

Boon: While on a Broomstick, gain +10 to Dodge!

Logistics - 13

**Mental Skills**

Parseltongue – 100

Boon: Snakes have a predisposition of +2000 Reputation when you reveal yourself as a Speaker

Boon: Spells with a 'Sss' sound may be cast in Parseltongue for +5 Difficulty Rating to overcome

Boon: The nuances of Parseltongue make other languages seem easy. +1 to Learning if it involves Languages.

Boon Mastery: May have a magical snake as a Familiar that does not count against your familiar slot.

English – 70

French – 4

Gobbledygook – 2

German – 8

Spanish - 61

History – 15

Science – 9

Mathematics – 10

**Harvesting and Crafting Skills**

Clipping – 7

Skinning – 2

Tanning – 1

Cooking – 52

Boon: Live and Learn. You may recreate most meals that you have tasted or modify it as you see fit. +2 to level of meal benefits

Boon: Eye for Quality. You have a discerning eye when it comes to the freshness of ingredients. Less likely to find or use expired or stale ingredients.

_Unspent 0_

_Class Specialization Apprentice chosen: +5% Exp Gain. +2 Learning. Unlocks Specializations Sorcerer, Mage, and Archmage at further levels._


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Hello again everyone! The urge to write has not disappeared these last couple of days. Hopefully no one was bummed to receive 2 chapters back to back though! Thank you for all the reviews that have come in, I love answering these! We have officially passed 50k words! These include a fair bit of review answers and character sheet postings but it still feels good.

Review answers below.

SorayukiChinatsu: I'm glad you appreciated the first pairing! I wanted to pick someone unexpected but natural and the setup after the discussions Harry had getting his living situation started was too good an opportunity to pass up. I can't promise that it will be the final pairing but it's definitely a nice one to write.

Frankieu: I can go ahead and spoil this with no, Rita did not bug their date. It was however a secret reason for Harry going about it the way he did. He knew anything on British soil risked having that useless bint getting into his business and he was not going to let that ruin a nice date.

Anon: Thank you for the review, even if it was unprompted. I have not bashed anyone in the story so far and hope that you'll give my story a chance before judging it.

Navn Ukjent: The quest system is being saved at the moment from becoming too monotonous or overdone. Harry has also taken a small break from grinding after the foray into the Chamber but he will be back at it soon enough! And yes normally he would have saved the skill points for emergencies but he also wanted to provide a special night for a girl that he wanted to impress. Harry's dating life from his past life, which was canon up until the final moments of the 7th book, was lacklustre and boring and when he started all of this he said that he wanted to seize every opportunity that presented itself with his new life. Lastly he will be improving his Perception at some point, when he brings all his stats to 20 like he plans, but its low very low on his list of priorities at the moment. His current glasses can transition into goggles at the moment and that is more than enough for him at his current level.

And away we go!

Chapter 10: Explanations, Exams, and Exciting Parties

Tracey dipped the quill into the inkpot and wrote another few lines, a look of intense concentration on her face. Daphne watched her friend from her place on the bed, a small cross-stitch project in her delicate hands. It had been a week since the night in Spain as Tracey referred to it in her mind and she was over the moon. Harry's owl had shown up the next morning, and what a pretty owl she was, with a photo that had been taken in the club without her knowledge. It showed her being spun by Harry's confident hand over her head and her dress flaring out. When the spin ended it showed her with a laughing smile on her face to match Harry's own. It was a great picture that definitely caught them both in a special moment. There had been a short letter detailing again Harry's thanks for having a great note and making sure that she got home well. It had won another few points in Tracey's book.

When Daphne had shown up this morning, the first visit since the date, Tracey had wasted no time telling her all about it. Daphne had been suitably impressed with the level of planning that went into a night like that, as well as a respectful acknowledgement of what had surely been a costly night. Tracey had waved off that concern. The photo of the dancing and the memories of that night were well worth it for both Harry and Tracey. And the kiss! Oh, Tracey's lips had tingled the rest of the night. She was unaware that Harry's had done the same.

Daphne had inquired about the architecture and the meal, dancing not really being high on her list of interests. Sure she knew how to dance well enough as all Purebloods should, but it was hardly a hobby for her. Tracey had scoffed at the questions, as they hardly seemed important in the wake of the other events of the night, but had answered them all for nothing more than an excuse to keep talking about it. Currently Tracey was responding to another letter from Harry, inviting her to his birthday party at the end of the week. It had contained a few other factoids about the boy that was quickly becoming her main interest, and joined a growing stack of letters that they had exchanged in the last few days. Also within the letter had been an invite for Tracey to bring Daphne as well. Apparently the party would have a lot of fellow students. The Quidditch teams for Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, and Hufflepuff along with most of the students from their year in those houses as well as the Weasley clan and any relevant plus ones. They were apparently the only Slytherins currently invited. Harry had stressed that he had no qualms against Slytherins at his party and promised to quash any complaints from the more 'loyal' Gryffindors.

"Do I have to go?" Daphne asked from the bed, eyes and hands focused on threading the cross-stitch correctly.

"I suppose you don't have to come if you don't want to, but I'd like for you to come. There's going to be a few Ravenclaws, the Patil twins, and apparently Cedric Diggory will be there. Not the worst crowd for your esteemed presence" Tracey teased her friend, and her crush on Diggory.

Tracey knew her friend was shooting a glare her way, "you know I hate crowds, Tracey"

"It won't be a crowd, Daph. Harry's manor has plenty to do, I doubt everyone will be clumped together. Apparently he has a lake, pool, and his own Quidditch Pitch" Tracey idly traced a heart in one of her i's before realizing what she was doing and using some ink-remover to fix it.

"Oh, so it will be a showboating excuse for Harry and his teammates" Daphne jibed. She quieted a curse when she pricked her finger. She made sure Tracey wasn't looking before sucking on the finger.

"I'm sure there will be a pickup game, but there's also a library! Please Daph, I'd love for you to meet Harry officially. You won't even recognize him!" Tracey dropped some sand onto her letter and left it to dry before turning to her friend suddenly. Tracey cocked an eyebrow in a poor imitation of her friend when she caught Daphne sucking on her finger.

Daphne popped the finger out with all the grace of a Pureblood, and glared back, "Fine, but if it turns out to just be a jockfest I'll be using some of his Floo powder and going home"

"Yay! Now what should we wear? I'm sure we'll need swimsuits" Tracey laughed at Daphne's groan and pulled her up and took her to the wardrobe. Fussing and teasing jibes could be heard from both girls through the door for the next hour.

***Break***

Harry was also over the moon since the night in Spain, as he had taken to referring to it in his mind. Tracey's letter stated to expect both her and Daphne at the party, along with a few answers and responses to the contents of his letter. He had confirmations from the Quidditch teams, Hermione, Ron and the Weasley kids, and a few people from their year but Tracey's had been the one he was most excited about.

Setting the letter onto the growing stack of letters on his desk, Harry got up and crossed off 'invite Tracey' from his to-do list and exited the study. The Weasleys had gotten back a couple days ago and Harry was set to visit today, a fact that he both enjoyed and dreaded. There would be quite a bit of talking today and he was sure that his new look, attitude, and above all living arrangement would invite a lot to talk about. Popping into his bathroom for a quick shower, Harry dressed himself in some casual clothes. Loose jeans, a belt, and a short sleeved t-shirt. On his belt he placed his wand holster, and slicked his hair into a comfortable style. He checked his watch and saw that he had about 20 minutes.

"Dobby! I'm headed to the Smithy!" Harry called out, and stepped into his yard. Harry crossed the short walkway to his smithy and checked that the coals were burning well. He had been testing different metals and their smelting temperatures to try and familiarize himself with the process over the past week. It would probably be advised to get a tutor or instructor of some sort but he had ignored that in lieu of books and trial-and-error. Nodding in confirmation that all was well he left Dobby with instructions to jot down anything he noticed, and headed to his Floo inside.

"The Burrow"

***Break***

Harry hardly had a moment to arrange himself properly before the crushing hug of Molly Weasley caused his ribs and back to pop ominously. He wouldn't trade the feeling for anything else though and easily returned the hug, much to the shock of the matron. She pulled back and looked him over twice, before looking at his hair.

"Oh Harry dear, you look so different! Arthur mentioned the hair after the press conference, but to see it myself! Why you practically look like one of my brood! You look like you've been eating well enough, but come come I was just getting lunch finished up. The boys are in the back degnoming the garden. Arthur should be in his shed, and Ginny was feeling faint so I sent her upstairs" Molly bustled off in the way only a mother could, fully expecting Harry to follow which he did.

"Thank you Mrs. Weasley. With the changes that my inheritance brought on, I decided to change some things up physically as well, honor both of my parents as well as I could. I hope you don't mind the hair, but if being mistaken for one of your kids is what happens then I hardly see that as a problem" Harry shared a laugh with Molly "is there anything I can do to help?"

"Nonsense. You're a guest! Sit, I'll have you served up in a moment" Molly waved her wand a few times, always amazing Harry with her culinary prowess. He inquired about some of the spells she used while he waited.

Almost as soon as his plate clattered onto the table, the back door boomed open and the thunder that was the Weasley children stormed into the Burrow. Laughter and camaraderie that was so common in the Weasley clan could be heard in the voices before suddenly cutting off when the first Weasley child caught sight of the bespectacled boy at their table.

"Oi! Mum! Is this some long lost cousin I see? Or perhaps a brother none of us knew of? Does Dad know?" George chimed in as he stepped into the kitchen.

"Methinks that it's a lost child that Mum has taken pity on, brother" Fred helpfully supplied.

"Harry!" Ron slipped past George and clapped Harry on the back, nearly knocking him into the plate in front of him. Puberty was taking the youngest Weasley male by storm and Harry could swear he had already grown another inch since he last saw him. All of the Weasley kids sported a slight tan from their time in Egypt.

Harry chuckled and stood up, shocking the Weasley clans again with a growth spurt of his own. He was actually eye to eye with Ron for once! He amicably placed his arm over Ron's shoulders and pulled him into an arm hug, before doing the same with the rest of the Weasley brothers before shaking Percy's hand.

"You've been well Harry?" Percy asked, nodding at Harry's confirmation.

"Out! All of you, out! You're tracking mud all over the place. Upstairs! The lot of you! Let Harry eat in peace while you wash up" Molly ushered the kids up the stairs, tutting at the muddy prints they left on their way up. She waved her wand and whisked the mud out of the carpet. She ushered Harry back to his seat and set some cutlery in front of him. She had prepared a delicious soup to accompany her grilled cheese sandwiches and Harry wasted no time digging in.

Harry was just declining another plate of sandwiches, opting to finish his soup, when the Weasley storm again came down the stairs. Freshly washed, they were a bit more subdued than their initial entry but still as boisterous as Harry remembered. Ron took a place next to Harry and grunted a greeting before setting into the soup and sandwiches with a fervor. Fred and George sat opposite, and also dug in heartily though with a modicum more decorum. Just a modicum. Percy placed a much more reasonable amount in front of himself and set into it with knife and fork, which his brothers had ignored.

Knowing it would be a moment before they talked much, Harry looked at the oldest Weasley boy. He remembered from his alternate life a slightly ostracized black sheep of the Weasley family. A true Gryffindor, but with a few more Ravenclaw properties than his family was used to. Harry knew that he had an opportunity to try and bring the boy more into the fold, or at least become more of a friend, and chose to take it.

"So Percy, since these wild beasts will be eating" Harry ignored the grunts of indignation from the 3 stooges at the table "for a while, how has your summer been? Was Egypt as awesome as it sounded?"

Percy seemed to be taken by surprise from being addressed directly, an uncommon occurrence with Harry, he took it in stride only taking a moment to wipe his mouth politely with his napkin before responding, "Yes actually. William definitely knows his stuff, and showed us around many of the popular sites in the area. There was a fascinating temple that plays a large part in the training process of potential Curse Breakers"

Percy and Harry conversed for a while while the twins and Ron devoured their portions and then some. Arthur was finally coaxed away from his tinkering and came in through the kitchen door. He stopped to kiss his wife before ruffling the hair of each of his boys, only Percy bothering to straighten it back. Arthur's hand hovered over Harry's hair for a brief moment before opting to pat him on the shoulder a couple times and take his place at the head of the table. Ginny could be heard moving around upstairs, possibly just waking up from a nap or just finishing some homework.

"Harry, so good to see you! I almost confused you for one of my own boys, thinking I had lost count somewhere. That hair will take some getting used to. How have you been?" Arthur asked the other redhead at the table, taking a few bites of his sandwich while Harry replied.

"I've been doing very well, thank you. Just finished moving into my new home" Harry dropped the house bomb since most of the people were present that he had wanted to tell.

Silence reigned for a moment, even Ron stopping to look at him in bewilderment "New home?" Arthur asked, shooting a glance at his wife.

"Yes. Actually, it's not far from here" Harry took a moment to sip his tea. He had omitted the living arrangement change from his letters, deciding that it was a conversation best had in person.

"Harry dear, is it wise to be living on your own so soon?" Molly asked, a worried expression on her face.

Harry took a deep breath and readied himself for bomb number two. At that moment Ginny came in and stopped at the scene ahead of her. Silence during lunch? Oddity. Strange new redhead at the table? Oddity. Strange redhead being cute? Oddity. Bewildered or worried expressions on most of her family's faces? Oddity.

"Errr... Mum? Is this a good time?" Ginny asked, taking her place next to the twins.

Molly nodded, not dropping the worried expression from her face but still managing to have another plate of sandwiches float over to her daughter.

"Hey Ginny" Harry said, catching her eye. Ginny's eyes got huge when she realized that the cute redhead was in fact Harry Flippin' Potter, the boy who she had last seen in the Hospital Wing after he had just saved her life from Tom Riddle. She let out a small eep, blushed profusely, and busied herself getting caught up with the eating of her brothers.

"So what did you mean new home Harry?" Arthur prompted, once he was sure Ginny was well. He also had not forgotten the last time that Ginny and Harry had been together, and hoped that her nightmares had lessened a bit in the time since.

"Well actually… Err. How best do I say this? I actually live not far from here, I bought up some land and had a house constructed" Harry started to explain before turning and side-eyeing Ron who was well known for his jealousy. The boy had a thoughtful look on his face.

Molly looked ready to burst before catching a glance from her husband and deflating a bit, she nodded solemnly and stood up. Coming around the table she swept Harry into another bone-crushing hug.

"I understand Harry. I don't think I could undo your decision or even convince you to. I just worry with everything that's going on with Sirius Black and it's such a sudden change. You let me know if you need anything and you're always welcome over. I will not have you starve on your own!" Molly hugged him just a bit tighter before setting him back into his seat and dabbing her eyes with her napkin once she settled back into her own. Her concern had always had a special effect on Harry, and he was touched that she was so motherly towards him.

"Thank you Mrs. Weasley. I promise I'm not starving. Actually I got a House Elf, you remember Dobby that I tricked Mr. Malfoy into releasing?" Arthur hid a chuckle behind a cough, after a warning glance from his wife, at the mention of the elf. Malfoy had complained for days at the Ministry about that. "Dobby makes sure that I'm well taken care of and has reminded me to eat on more than one occasion"

"That's all well and good, but you can still come whenever you like. You always have a place here" Molly said firmly.

The family was quiet for just a moment before Fred chimed in, "Yeah Harry, you already look like one of us. Get you in some choring clothes and put you in our garden for a week and you'll be called a Weasley before you know it!"

This served to break some of the tension in the room, and things slowly got back to normal enough for everyone to finish lunch. The children stood up to head outside for a while, but Harry was stopped by the Weasley patron. Arthur motioned for Harry to come with him to the living room, waving off his kids who tried to follow.

Arthur turned and clapped his hands onto each of Harry's shoulders and staring him in the eye. It was a firm look, equal parts concern and fatherly love. Arthur stared for just a moment before pulling Harry into a hug, shocking the young boy. After a moment Arthur released him.

"Thank you Harry, I know I said it in the Wing, but you truly saved this family from a tragedy by saving Ginny. You also portrayed yourself so well in that press conference a few weeks ago and you deserved a thanks for that as well. The Minister was quite annoyed when you said you wouldn't take an Order of Merlin without Ron getting one as well, let me tell you" Arthur chuckled a bit before slipping back into his firm tone "But you promise you're being safe? Sirius Black is still at large, and poses a very real risk towards you"

Harry nodded, knowing that Arthur was wrong about the danger but understanding just the same and knowing that there wasn't much he could do to convince Arthur, save revealing far too many secrets. He had expected this though.

"Yes sir, I am" Harry indicated his watch, necklace, ring, and wand holster "I carry a few emergency Portkeys on me at all times, and never leave home without my wand readily available. First sign of trouble, I am out of there. I also have Dobby, my elf, monitoring me closely for any signs of poison or trouble. He has strict instructions to bring me to St. Mungo's if there's anything different"

Arthur seemed shocked at the level of preparation but nodded with a small smile and clapped Harry on the shoulder, "Well it seems I don't have much to worry about. Just let me know if you see anything strange, I'll have the DMLE over in a jiffy"

Harry nodded again and thanked him, taking the escape that was offered to head out the door and join the Weasley children.

***Break***

"A house huh? What's that like?" Ron asked, scuffing his toe in an attempt to dislodge a rock that had caught his attention.

Harry sighed, knowing this would be a conversation best had now before Ron saw the house "It's different. Quiet. No Dursleys trying to get me to do chores, and more space than I know what to do with"

"So it's big?" Ron asked with an almost annoyed tone.

"Yes Ron. And before you get jealous, I didn't get a big house to show off my wealth. I got a big house to be able to do all the things that I've always wanted to do. There's going to be a lot of changes in my life going forward, and it would mean a lot to me if you were okay with that" Harry looked at his best friend, who hid his face by staring at the rock even more intently "You know, I would gladly trade with you. You can have the big house and I'll have your family"

Ron's head shot up and a look of anger crossed his face before disappearing immediately. Ron sighed and resumed trying to dislodge the rock "It's just a lot to take in you know? We have land, and a decent sized house, but none of it is mine you know? I'm not going to inherit much being the youngest male in a poor family. Even Ginny is likely to get a dowry when she's ready to marry someone. Dad had told us about your emancipation, but I had put it out of mind while we were away in Egypt. Bill caught me brooding and had a serious talk with me. He said that for every coin of money that you had, you had to give up a minute with your parents and how would I feel if the same were done to me, you know? That hit hard. I don't promise that I'll be immediately okay with it all, but I would be right shite if I held it against you. And then you show up looking like some long lost brother, and it just felt for a moment like you were stealing the spotlight"

Harry's eyes were huge, he had expected more complaining from Ron but this was a maturity that he hadn't expected to see so soon. He couldn't help it, he started laughing in amazement. Ron looked up at his best friend in disbelief, "Oi! Don't laugh, I'm trying to be serious here!"

"I know, Ron, I know. I just didn't expect it. I expected a huge argument, no offense. You know that everything that is mine you're welcome to at any time? You're my best friend, mate. I wouldn't trade you for a million Malfoys that showered me in gold" Harry clapped his friend on the shoulder, and dodged the smack of indignation.

"A million Malfoys? Talk about a horror story. Could you imagine their battle cry? My Father! My Father!" Ron started laughing at the thought, and Harry soon joined him, their impersonations of what a million Malfoys would be like getting more and more ridiculous.

***Break***

Harry eyed the test in front of him with an almost bored expression. It was his 5th that day, but he was rolling through them smoothly in the small room at the Ministry. A certified Examiner was overseeing his retaking of the exams and had easily accommodated Harry's impressive pace, after checking him 3 times for cheating instruments. Harry was on his 3rd quill of the afternoon, but understood the caution. He admitted to himself that he was rolling through these quite easily, but that was more due to the reviewing he had done with the help of his Gamer privileges than anything else. The Examiner didn't need to know that though.

Soon that exam was pulled and another was put in front of him. At this rate, what was expected to be 2 days of exams would only take 1 which was okay with Harry as it gave him more time for preparing for his party. He quickly jotted down the answers to the first few questions and the only sound in the room was the scratch scratch scratch of the quill.

***Break***

Harry checked again that he looked presentable. His guests were due to arrive at any moment, and he was nervous. He wasn't big on crowds but this party also doubled as a housewarming party so it was due to be big. Neville had sent word that he would be celebrating his own birthday with some extended family in Norway and would be unable to attend. Dobby had been working most of the early morning preparing all of the food and decorations, a task that had the elf singing, literally singing, the praises of the Great Harry Potter. Harry actually had to order the Elf to stop before his guests arrived, lest the Weasley twins catch wind of it. Dobby was under strict instructions to only refer to him as Master Harry.

Molly had had to be talked out of coming over and helping with the preparations, and Harry almost regretted giving the woman his Floo address after the 3rd call. Almost, if her motherly attitude didn't warm his heart so much. She was still going to be bringing some food items, he was sure of it, and had had Dobby pop over discreetly to coordinate what he was making with what she was making. It looked like this year he was at least getting 2 cakes, as Molly was already icing hers and Dobby could not be ordered not to make one of his own. To think a House Elf would flat out refuse an order!

Knowing that nothing could be done for it, Harry turned his attention back to his attire. He was in jeans, and a button up shirt. He had thought about having his swimming briefs on, even under the clothes, but had decided that that was a bit much and knew that he could just change if needed. Straightening his watch, and his collar, Harry headed off to his sitting room just in time to hear the first whoosh of arrival.

"Harry!" Was all the warning he received as a Hermione grade missile slammed into his side with the force of 10 Hippogriffs.

"Oof" was all Harry could say in return, and he accepted the hug from his best female friend. After a moment Hermione pulled back and took in his new appearance as well as the room around them, the lands visible through the window, as well as a multitude of other details in a split second.

"Wow. You look so different! I like the hair and the new look, it definitely suits you. What a place! This is all yours? Even that lake in the back there? And what is all of this artwork? You going for that bachelor look? You know I read in a mag-" Hermione cut off the start of her greeting rant when Harry placed a finger on her lips. This was not something he ever did so it shocked her into silence.

"Hello to you too Hermione. Thank you, the hair is in honor of my mother. I wanted to have a bit more of her in my look than just my eyes. This is all my place, including that lake out there. The artwork was provided by my House Elf Dobby, the same one from the incident last year with Malfoy and the Chamber. I technically am a Bachelor, I wasn't sure that would interest you but I'm sure we could explore that at some point" Harry winked at her rapidly blushing face "Now, you're in the path of the Floo and I've got quite a bit of greeting to do. Dobby! Can you show Hermione the library?"

Hermione's eyes lit up at the mention of the library, and she allowed herself to be led off by Dobby who she asked questions to at a staggering speed. Dobby matched it well enough, and Harry knew she'd be busy enough for at least a half hour.

The Floo lit up again and Angelina Johnson showed up, looking absolutely stunning in her summer attire, followed quickly by Katie Bell. Harry greeted and complimented them both, showing them the table of snacks laid out outside and visible through the window and answering a few questions about the new house. They each hugged him and headed off to check the place out.

Alicia Spinnet was next and wasted no time heading off to catch up with her 2 friends. There was a table near the Floo for gifts that Harry had only put there at Dobby's urging, that was actually getting filled despite the invitations requesting no gifts.

The Weasley clan showed up next, along with Lee Jordan and Oliver Wood much to Harry's enjoyment. Molly and Arthur were the de facto chaperones of the day as the only adults invited, and Harry was glad that he had sent over a full pouch of Floo powder for the clan. They would have taken the Ford Anglia but it currently had a home in the Forbidden Forest and it was this fact that had enabled Harry to convince the proud Weasleys to accept the powder. They had offered to _walk, _of all things, before he had shut that idea down.

Molly went to check out the Loom room that Harry had told her about, while Arthur beelined to the Mechanic's Shed. The kids and young adults greeted Harry one by one and headed off to the dock and to check out the Pitch. Luna Lovegood had accompanied Ginny today as a welcome plus one and Harry greeted her as well, even if her oddities at this age made that a little hard.

The next few arrivals were a smattering of various students from Harry's year, whose eyes were wide at the large house and the strange yet familiar boy that greeted them. The weirdness left them quickly enough and they too headed outside to grab a snack and greet the earlier arrivals.

Finally, Tracey arrived, and she looked amazing in Harry's eyes. At least, she thought she did if the way his face lit up was any indication.

"Earth to Potter" Daphne supplied behind her, as Harry had yet to say anything in the 15 seconds that they had been here.

"What?" Harry responded, whipping his head up to look at the Ice Queen of Slytherin. Harry cleared his throat and shook his head before sweeping into a low bow.

"Sorry about that, I was struck senseless by the lovely image that you two strike today. Forgive me, and welcome to Potter Manor" Harry recovered well enough, Daphne nodding her head in approval at his save. Dobby appeared from nowhere, as a House Elf should, and took Daphne's coat. Only someone of her upbringing would bother to bring a coat on the warm summer morning

Harry grinned and greeted Tracey much more familiarly, with a hug. The two stared into each other's eyes for a moment only for Daphne's raised eyebrow to interject almost audibly. Harry cleared his throat again and thanked them both for coming, offering them refreshments and an explanation of the location of the snacks and seats.

"Daphne! You don't have to be prim and proper all the time! Loosen up, it's a party!" Tracey complained as she led her best friend out the back door.

"Yes I do, and no I won't" she responded before the door shut. Harry chuckled. So different, the two of them.

The Ravenclaw quidditch team arrived in an almost coordinated fashion, and Harry had fun greeting them all as they were quick to challenge him to a match. Cho Chang was their newest addition to their team, and she was every bit as pretty as his alternate life remembered. Roger Davies looked eager to test how the newest Seeker for the Eagles stacked up to Harry. Harry ushered them into the back same as the rest of the guests and just in time to greet the Hufflepuff team.

Seeing Cedric Diggory was a surreal experience and served to drive home just how much had changed for Harry in such a short time. Luckily the storm of emotion was well hidden and Harry was able to greet them with no issue. This time however, Harry followed them out the door as they were the last guests to arrive. A fact that almost offended their Hufflepuff manners.

Hermione shuffled next to Harry as he was headed out the door and bumped into him with a grin, "the library is amazing, but don't think for a second that it saved you from telling me all about all of this!"

***Break***

The party was in full swing, with music in the air and the buzz of conversation throughout. Most of the guests had arranged themself by age, with the older students hanging out at one end of the long back deck, and the younger students spreading themselves out in the remaining space. Harry had answered a million questions it felt like, mainly from Hermione but also from his friends and acquaintances, but with his arm over Tracey's shoulders he had a smile on his face the entire time.

Ron had complained briefly about Harry dating a snake, but Harry had quashed that as promised with reminders that acting like a prat would bring the wrath of his mother down on them faster than just about anything else. He had huffed but accepted, and actually had Tracey's full attention arguing the merits and disadvantages of most of the professional Quidditch teams. Hermione had gotten the information that she wanted out of Harry, with most of the guests listening in as they were not usually privy to the inner workings of the Golden Trio, and had started a large discussion about some of the upcoming classes with most of the Ravenclaws of their year, along with Ernie Macmillan and Megan Jones from Hufflepuff. The other Hufflepuffs were busying themselves greeting familiar faces and chiming into various conversations while holding their own.

This was how Harry found himself looking at Daphne Greengrass, who was quiet and observing most of the other attendees. Her eyes refused to meet his, and instead remained occupied checking out various conversations but withholding comments despite looking like she wanted to interject.

"Can I get you anything Daphne?" Harry asked once he realized that she wasn't going to speak unless spoken to. She almost jumped when he addressed her directly.

"No thank you" She responded coolly.

"Are you sure? The snacks are quite good, and I included some more traditional hors d'oeuvres to satisfy multiple palettes" Harry tried once more.

Daphne finally turned and met his eyes, her own adopting a shrewd expression, "What's the deal, Potter? Can't a girl simply keep to herself if that is the preference?"

"Is it the preference though? This may be a Lord's manor but it is by no means a high society event. There are people from all walks of life here, and you've seemed like you've wanted to chime in a few times. Don't want to give up the opportunity to eavesdrop?" Harry challenged her directly. Tracey turned to them both in concern, but was soon drawn back into her discussion with Ron.

Daphne huffed and pulled her butterbeer closer to herself, crossing her legs and turning away. Harry nodded and turned his attention to Tracey and Ron's discussion. Daphne was an enigma, that was for sure, but Harry appreciated the challenge and knew that his relationship with Daphne would directly affect anything with Tracey.

***Break***

Daphne Greengrass looked across the gathered people. Purebloods, Half-Bloods, and Muggleborns mingled easily and seemed to be enjoying themselves. It was a sight that she had very little experience with. Most of her young life had been adhering to rules, etiquette, and navigating conversation that always, always, had an ulterior motive. But she could not find any of that here, despite trying her best. She couldn't for the life of her understand why Hermione was discussing the upcoming classes without a need to ask what the other students thought of their chances in those classes. Or why Justin Finch-Fletchley was talking with Susan Bones in a familiar and even warm tone. She was Old Blood and a face that Daphne actually recognized from the yearly galas.

She was out of her element, wholly and fully. This was not a place for her. She glanced at Tracey, who was laughing at something that Potter had just said. Clearly she was enjoying herself, so there was no chance that Daphne could convince her to leave. Excusing herself politely, Daphne stood up and headed inside where it was much quieter. She headed off to the hallway and passed a few of the doors. She eventually saw one labelled as the bathroom and stepped inside, sitting on the toilet. Even the bathroom was immaculate to her practiced eye. The manor itself was quite charming. Opulent without being oppressive and radiating a warmth and welcome of a home infinitely older than its recent construction would indicate.

Intimidated. That's what she was. Harry Potter had officially intimidated her. Not through the usual means of intimidation, Merlin, he probably didn't even realize he had done it. His direct questioning of her motives to being quiet and out of the way was a brazen challenge that no self respecting Lord would normally bring up. The sheer amount of enjoyment people were having at his party, an unorthodox marriage of warmth and decorum, and the way he navigated it with ease. It was an astounding change. One thing was for sure, she definitely did not recognize him. Maybe she should just go home, she had made that stipulation with Tracey already, and could easily slip out when she returned from the restroom.

A Knock knock knock sound came from the door along with, "Daphne? Is everything alright?"

There he was again, Potter. Just the thought of his probably smug attitude at having shook her so irritated and annoyed her. Her eyes watered for just a moment before her mask slipped back into place.

She opted not to answer and instead checked her appearance in the mirror, flushing the toilet to keep up appearances. She looked flawless with her ornate hairstyle and summer wear. Nodding to herself in acknowledgement and encouragement she opened the door.

"Yes, Potter, I am fine. Thank you for checking on me. I should get back to the party" She attempted to brush past him but Harry simply stepped in her way and stared at her. She looked back at him, meeting his eyes in a challenge.

Harry's green eyes were powerful and piercing, and he had an unfamiliar expression on his face. What was that expression? It certainly wasn't the smug one that she had envisioned just a moment ago.

"Come with me" was all he said.

"What?" She asked, normally an unrefined response but that was the only thought in her head at the moment

"Come with me" He said again, and stepped past her further down the hall.

She shot a furtive glance in the direction she had come from, before flattening her dress and following behind Harry, her hand clasped firmly on the bangle on her wrist where she kept a vial of liquid hidden. A deterrent for untoward advances. She was intimidated, but intrigued, and wanted to get to the bottom of the mystery that Harry Potter had become. Plus the idea of going back to the party when had planned on leaving frightened her.

***Break***

Harry stepped into his study, and magicked the chairs a bit further apart, settling into one in front of the desk. Daphne was right behind him, and cast a critical eye around the room. She didn't sit until Harry gestured at the chair across from him. It was farther away than societal customs normally would dictate and she hesitated just a moment before taking the seat.

Harry stared at her with an unreadable expression for a long moment before he began to speak, "When I was 4 years old, I learned what it meant to speak out of turn. 3 lashings with a belt, and a week spent in my cupboard. By the age of 5 I had learned the lesson to only speak when spoken to, lest I invite a week with no food and a hard kick to the shin at the table I was rarely allowed to sit at. 6 years of age I learned what it meant to ask questions that weren't meant to be answered, and there's still a scar on my ribcage from that lesson. 7 years of age I learned the importance of referring to people by their title and with the proper respect. 8 years of age I learned what it meant to succeed over my betters, a broken arm and sleeping in the yard. 9, the lesson had been burned into my skin that saying nothing is sometimes better than speaking up. These were not easy lessons, but I learned from them. They stayed with me in the worst way and certain situations, certain... actions would bring those lessons back with a clarity that would astound." Harry cleared his throat quietly and took a deep breath, "Crowds, guests in particular, were a hard thing for me to navigate. Should I do this, or say that, these questions raged through my mind until they were all that I could think of and these thoughts forced me to say nothing despite so desperately wanting to. I was unsure of my own actions. It's not a feeling I like to have, but it comes up frequently and often and I force myself to acknowledge it. I step away when I need to, get a breath of fresh air as it were. Which is why I am here, now. I thought that the party would be going well, and it is, but a terrible sense of unease came up and I headed off to my study for a moment to escape. It's a lovely study, don't you think? Dobby prepared it for me. It only opens to me, unless opened from the inside, and in the short time I've been here I've enjoyed the quiet and the organized clutter. It helps me collect myself. There's even a private bathroom just behind that shelf there, if you pull the book labeled 10,000 leagues under the sea. That's kind of what it feels like, that feeling of unease. Like being trapped 10,000 leagues under the sea"

Quiet reigned in the room for a moment and Harry looked up into Daphne's eyes from where they had shifted to the floor during his recollection of darker times. They stared into each other's eyes. She had an unreadable expression on her face. Harry simply smiled and stood up, heading to the door. He made a show of tapping his wand on the rune at waist height and the door slid open, granting him his exit.

Daphne stared at that door for a long few heartbeats, before releasing a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. It would be almost a half hour before she rejoined the party and chimed into the ongoing discussion that Hermione was heading up. Harry watched with a smile before turning his attention back to Tracey who was chatting with the Puffs about some of the rumors around the school.

***Break***

"Potter passes to Inglebee, to Davies, to Weasley, GOAL! 100-60 favor to Potter's Posse" Lee Jordan did what he did best and delivered a live retelling of the game that played out above them with a Sonorous charm cast by Harry. On one side was Harry, Duncan Inglebee, Roger Davies, Ron, and Grant Page. On the other side was George, Oliver, Katie, Tamsin Applebee, and Cedric. It was a loose game, played with 4 chasers and one Keeper. No bludgers or snitches to bring excitement to the game but all participants were having a great time.

Below, the fellow party attendees cheered for who they wanted. It was a game that straddled house lines anyways, so no team was the overall favorite. Tracey walked over to her friend that was sitting apart from most of the attendees and flopped onto the stone wall Daphne had chosen as her seat.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Tracey asked, offering one of the two butterbeers she had brought with her. Daphne took it and opened with practiced ease, before trading and doing the same with the other. Tracey had never gotten the hang of the twist-tops.

"Yes, actually" Daphne answered and took a long swig of the cooling drink. It was creeping into the early afternoon now and the sun was letting that fact be known.

"Good! I was worried for a bit when you disappeared. Where did you go by the way?" She rested her head on her best friend's shoulder and took a long drink as well.

Daphne glanced at her friend, no other person being allowed to be so familiar with her. It brought a smile to her face whenever her friend was affectionate like this, but she hid it as there were others present. She glanced at the crowd as well and saw that they were suitably occupied by the game playing out overhead. Even Granger, probably the least Quidditch oriented of the attendees besides Daphne herself, was cheering from the sidelines under the tent that Harry had impressively magicked up.

Daphne sighed and took another long sip of her drink before telling her about the events earlier, leaving out the facts that Harry had told her and instead simply stating that Harry had explained that he understood the anxious feelings that crowds sometimes brought on and how he had graciously let her stay in the private study for a while to decompress. Tracey listened attentively, as she always did when her friend opened up like this, and hugged her once she finished.

"See? I told you that you'd like him" She jibed.

"Shut up, Tracey" Daphne said but with a small smile. They both turned to watch the game play out, with new players being subbed in from the interested parties regularly. Harry joined them after a while, hair windswept in a way that had Tracey cooing. Harry nodded at Daphne and received a nod in return and the three sat together to watch the games.

***Break***

With the Quidditch pick up game finally over, the attendees all gathered at the edge of the lake. One and all, even Daphne, they were dressed in their swimwear and each had a pool noodle under their arm. Harry grinned from the end of the dock where he was standing. He cleared his throat which echoed with the force of the Sonorous charm.

"You all know the rules?" he asked, receiving a multitude of ayes, yeps, and other affirmations.

"Okay. First to get the Quaffle into the opposing teams rings gets to use the Jet. This is a big advantage folks so don't lose it. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley will be nearby keeping an eye on things and making sure we don't drown. I'll be the referee and help keep the Jet primed. On your marks!" Harry called out, watching the tension increase in the faces looking at him from the shore.

"Get set!" varying positions of readiness were adopted by all the people. Harry brought his Firebolt into his hand with a thought, astounding the onlookers both by the casual display of supposed wandless magic and because it was their first time seeing the high end broom. The earlier games had been played on his Nimbus 2001s. They almost all lost their readiness, and Harry grinned.

"Go!" And he took off into the sky, one hand on the broom. They stared in amazement for just a moment before they all stormed into the water.

They were playing a bastardized version of Quidditch in the water. Lee Jordan and Fred had come up with the idea during the games earlier after even the casual onlookers were almost drenched in sweat due to the high heat of the day. It had taken a fair bit of planning and liberal use of the bedrooms and bathrooms on the second floor to get everyone changed into their swimwear but it had been a welcome idea even for the usually more reserved. The girls in particular had taken a bit of time, but that was mostly due to Harry loudly and suddenly calling out the Weasley Twins and Lee Jordan who were trying to prank the door to function like a one-way mirror. The shrieks of outrage were drowned out by the cries of pain from the twins and Lee as those who could cast magic were shooting Stinging Hexes and those who could not were hitting them with pillows or various other objects throughout the room. They had been attempting to spy on the upper-year girls that had felt comfortable changing in front of one another, but even the younger years had come into the hall to voice their opposition to the attempted peeking.

The rules were fairly simple. The Quaffle, that was magicked to float on the water, was copied twice to provide 3 balls. These three balls were set in the center of the lake. Each team would have 5 defenders and 12 attackers, and a Jet team of 3 that would function as either until the Jet was in play. The Jet was an interesting addition, it was the boat that normally sat at the end of the dock. It was enchanted much like the boats at Hogwarts to move in the direction that the caster wanted. The term caster was loosely applied as the only requirement to move it was to touch a wand to the prow and issue an order. Harry had had it equipped with a spare wand when he commissioned it, and had the wand detailed into the rim so that any riders simply had to touch it to get it to move. It was a bit faster than most people could swim and would provide a distinct advantage to the team that had it first. Each team would be able to use it until 5 points were scored in the game by a combination of both sides where it would switch sides and be used by the opposing team. Harry would fly overhead to keep an eye on things, and move the Jet to and fro as needed. They were playing first to 50 Points. The pool noodles could be used to hit the Quaffle as it was passed around and doubled as a swimming assistant so that no one got too tired too quickly.

"May the best team win!" Harry called out overhead and laughed as he zipped through the air and ran a commentary much like Lee Jordan would have.

***Break***

"The game rages on, the score is 45 to 47. A close match by all accounts. Both teams are starting to taper off as the action so far has been intense. The lethal trio of the Gryffindor Chasers has been matched with the organized defense led by Cedric Diggory, I hear he's single ladies, and we head into the final moments of this intense match of Quaffleball. Already, each team has lost 4 members to exhaustion, and a ring on each side has been removed. How will the next few points play out? Who knows" Harry's commentary had devolved into more of a live narrative.

"SHUT UP, HARRY" Tracey yelled from her position on the Jet. Harry wisely listened from his position above, though that could have been due to the way Tracey shot him the evil eye that was visible even from his height. She was alone on the Jet, having lost her 2 teammates to exhaustion from climbing in and out of the boat and swimming around. On the shore Daphne rested under an umbrella, beach towel giving her a sense of decency to allow her to watch the game with interest. Luna and Ginny as well as Terry Boot, Anthony Goldstein, Hermione, Hannah Abbott and Percy rested nearby, being the less athletic of both teams which had initially earned them a place in the Jet teams but upon review of the difficulty of climbing in and out of a boat had been ill advised in the team compositions.

Cedric's team was the 45 points, and their defense was the main reason that it had not been a shutout victory by the opposing team led by the relentless attacking of Oliver Wood. Harry had lost track of how many times the Jet had changed hands but the game had gone much swifter than they had anticipated. They removed a ring on each side as well as a Quaffle as the scoring had been very frequent at the beginning, but now the game had settled into almost an actual sport and Harry almost regretted not joining in. He eyed the way that the swimwear hugged the curves of some of the upper years, of which he had a unique vantage point from his position in the air. Almost regretted.

"Movement from Team Oliver, as they secure a Quaffle and strike out in their signature goose formation" "SPEAR FORMATION" Oliver yelled up at the commentator "You look like geese from up here Oliver. The geese head off to the Northern side of the water, circling around the side and pulling the defenders to follow. Oh but it is a sneak attack! From the Center, Cho Chang speeds forward. Her speed has spelled trouble for Cedric's Defenders in the past will she hold to form and break past them? It looks like she will but oh! ROGER DAVIES FROM OUT OF NOWHERE SHOWS BRUTAL EFFICIENCY IN DUNKING HER BELOW THE WATER IN HIS SIGNATURE OVERARM THROW! Ravenclaw loyalty means nothing in these waters! The Quaffle breaks free and is tossed to Tracey who looks so lovely on the Jet. She sends the boat forward and braces for impacts! There it is, the dreaded Pool Noodle Wall. An effective defense performed by both teams so far, it uses teamwork to form a wall that is then dragged across the top of the Jet and has spelled doom for Jet teams in the past but what's this! Tracey ducks beneath it! With the loss of her teammates she is able to fit below the rim of the boat! She breaks past the defenders and easily send the Quaffle into Ring One! Cedric's defenders score! 46 to 47! What a close game!" The onlookers that had been on Cedric's team cheered loudly as the score gap closed just a bit.

***Break***

Drenched and exhausted, the teams headed to the shore. The game was over. 49-50 in favor of Oliver's Divers. It had been close, but Katie Bell had made an amazing play by taking a running leap from the Jet and slam-diving the Quaffle for the final point. It had capsized the boat, but it had worked. Harry smiled down at everyone. It had been a great game and everyone seemed to have enjoyed themselves. He looked at Tracey below him and grinned wickedly.

Positioning himself just to the side of her, Harry flipped over the edge of his broom and willed it into his Inventory. He immediately plummeted towards the water.

"POTTER BOMB!" He yelled which prompted Tracey to look up and shriek just before Harry's curled up form slammed into the water next to her. The splash was spectacular and Harry came up out of the water laughing uproariously. Tracey smacked him on the arm repeatedly but he laughed all the same. The water was cool and refreshing to Harry who had not had a chance to swim yet.

Tracey glared at him and hit him again before he swept her up in his arms and delivered a fierce kiss for just a moment. He winked at her and willed his Firebolt into his hand. She eyed it for just a moment in shock before Harry said "Hang on"

"Hang on? What? No. NO. NO!" Tracey shrieked again as Harry positioned the broom beneath them both and rocketed out of the water to the cheers of the other players. Her shriek did not stop immediately but soon turned into a whoop of laughter as Harry shot them through the air, his arms wrapped around her. The wind after the dive in the water felt amazing. They quickly passed the rest of the players and alighted onto the back deck where Harry gave her another fierce kiss, this one lasting a little longer as the adrenaline of the quick ride was hitting them both. Wolf whistles from the shoreline stopped them both and Harry's blushing but grinning face matched Tracey's. A quick spell had the Firebolt dried before being placed in his Inventory.

The players joined them quickly enough and drinks were passed around by Dobby much to the appreciation of the attendees. Harry caught Dobby's signal and raised his wand. A small sharp crack had them all quiet and attentive.

"Thank you everyone. Dobby just informed me that he has washed everyone's clothes if anyone wants to change into something dry and comfortable. Also supper will be served shortly. Thanks" Harry lowered his wand and most of the party-goers headed inside to change. Towels were floating near the door courtesy of Dobby and were used liberally by everyone.

"A Firebolt Harry?! A FIREBOLT!" Oliver came up from behind Harry and picked him up in a bear hug and spun him around laughing, "We're sure to win the Cup this year with a bloody Firebolt on the team!"

Harry laughed along with him, and took the excitement in good fun "Yes Oliver a Firebolt. Here, you wanna take it for a spin?" Harry brought it forth once more to the gleaming eye of Oliver.

"Take it for a spin? It's. A. Bloody. FIREBOLT, HARRY. Of course I want to take it for a spin" Oliver's careful hands were about to take the best broom on the market before Fred snatched it out of Harry's hand.

"Me first!" Fred said and laughed as he dodged the charge of his Quidditch captain allowing him to mount the broom and shoot off down the deck and towards the Pitch.

"Get back here!" Oliver yelled and ran off to follow him.

Harry laughed at their antics, and left them to argue over who would get to use the broom next. Catching the eye of Tracey next to him Harry put an arm around her shoulders and walked into the house. Ron and Hermione were next to them with Hermione commenting on how fun the day had been so far and Ron going on about Harry holding out on him.

***Break***

Everyone was dry and content, many of them having taken Harry's offer to use the showers to wash off the remains of the intense match of Quaffleball. Dobby had waited at the top of the stairs with the offer to cast drying charms on any interested. They were gathered outside near the shoreline under an even larger tent than during the Quidditch match and seated at the row of picnic tables that had been brought out by Dobby. Spread over the tables was a massive feast. Dobby had outdone himself. It was all summer food, burgers and hotdogs making a surprise appearance that fascinated the more traditional wizards present and enthused the Muggleborns. Conversations had been stricken up all over the tables, many with unexpected combinations of people who normally didn't get to interact with each other so familiarly. Molly and Arthur had pulled Harry aside to let him know that they were heading out, Molly being sure to warn Harry that she would find out about any 'funny business' and Dobby had affirmed this! Traitor! The mother and Elf had actually talked quite a bit in their time spent in the kitchen and during the match of Quaffleball and had become odd but quick friends in their mutual love of taking care of others.

The sun was just beginning to set, and lightning bugs were doing their best to provide ambiance to the relaxed environment with accompanying music from the frogs and various insects near the lake. Dobby's skilled spellwork had ensured none of these creatures would surprise them. The attendees had just finished singing Happy Birthday, and were starting to set into the food with ravenous abandon, the earlier games promising that everyone had an appetite. Harry was seated at a table with Ron, Hermione, Tracey, and Daphne.

"This party has been something else, mate. I don't think I've had this much fun in a while and I went to Egypt for 3 weeks!" Ron chimed in, nursing an injured rib courtesy of Hermione when he had tried to start speaking with a full mouth.

"It's definitely been a blast. I can't believe you blocked shots from the Ravenclaw Eagles during the pickup game! Everyone expected that team to sweep up" Harry laughed and took a big bite from the cool fruit salad that was on his plate.

Ron's ears shone red but he accepted the praise well enough. Normally nerves would have gotten the better of him but the relaxed environment had allowed him to play his best and prompted a long talk between Oliver and Ron presumably about the position of Keeper that would free up in a couple years.

"And Tracey, you shocked everyone with that rolling maneuver to bring your side to victory" Hermione praised. She usually didn't talk Quidditch but the excitement had brought out a sporty side of the bookworm "What did you call that again?"

"The Sloth-Grip Roll. I had heard it mentioned in a Wireless recap of the Quiberon Quafflepunchers out of France" Tracey said, laughing when Hermione choked on her water.

"The Quiberon what? Quafflepunchers? What kind of team name is that?" She asked, and this launched a three-way debate between Ron, Tracey, and Hermione about some of the ridiculous names of professional Quidditch teams.

Daphne politely sipped her lemonade, enjoying the coolness and the spike of tartness at the end. She had never had it before as it was typically American fare but she really enjoyed it. Harry laughed at the antics of their mutual friends before turning and looking at Daphne.

"I'm glad that you were able to enjoy yourself today, Daphne. I'll have to host a more formal get together sometime and invite you" Harry smiled at her and shockingly received one in return from the usually emotionless Ice Queen of Slytherin.

"That would be nice actually. But today was quite enjoyable. Thank you" She said sincerely, and Harry knew that the thank you was more than just a thanks for hosting.

"You're welcome, Daphne" Harry said, and chimed into the ongoing debate when the name Moose Jaw Meteorites out of Canada was brought up. Daphne observed for a moment longer before throwing in a dry quip that silenced them all before they burst out laughing, except for Ron who took offense at being referred to as Moose Jaw for his eating habits.

***Break***

Bellies were full. Both cakes had been tasted by everyone with Molly's edging out Dobby's as the crowd favorite and people lavishing praise onto their Weasleys for the cooking prowess of their mother. The night had just started and it was time for presents and the night's festivities. Harry graciously accepted the gifts in the sitting room that surprisingly was able to contain everyone even if laps were shared and the floor was used judiciously. Tracey looked to be thoroughly enjoying having claimed Harry's lap, and was using her seat of power to oversee the gift-giving.

There were a lot of combo-gifts that Harry had been thankful for as he had been dreading having 40 or so presents. Somewhere in the distance he was sure that he could hear Dudley's cry of outrage. From the Gryffindor Quidditch team he received a new set of Seeker Robes that actually had a few surprising functionalities, beating out his personal set as the preferred outerwear in future games. From the Ravenclaw team he received a set of Quidditch balls that were enchanted with different training regimens. Roger Davies' face was very intense when he stated that his team should be allowed to come use it once in a while so that the Gryffindors didn't have an unfair advantage. Harry had agreed readily, and extended the offer to include the Hufflepuff team as well. Watch out, Slytherin. The Hufflepuffs all had come together to provide a very comfortable and plentiful variety of throw blankets and pillows that were easily broken into and passed around for people to use.

"This one next, Harry" Tracey said as she passed over a small book. He had not noticed the gift before but opened it anyways. Revealing it to be a surprise gift from Tracey who had secured the help of Dobby to procure photos of Harry in and around his home, and a few from the party itself surprisingly. It must have taken some coordination to pull off and had plenty of room for more photos to be added. The cover was the same photo that Harry had taken in the club during their first date which had prompted a full retelling of the date for the enjoyment of the rest of the people in the room. Multiple wolf whistles were made, and some of the females aww'ed and ooo'ed at the romantic retelling and the book was passed around for a while. Tracey blushed and more wolf whistles were made when Harry thanked her for the gift with a sweet kiss.

It was due to this blush that Harry was able to pick the next present for himself which was from the Weasleys. Inside was a full set of Weasley jumpers, scarves, and hats along with some home-baked goods from Molly that were passed around for those still with an appetite. The twins had a grand time chanting "One of us. One of us" Until Harry put on one of the hats.

From Hermione he had received a full composition of her notes from the earlier years, combined into books for each subject. She even had some thesis papers that she had written up in her free time, the way only Hermione would be tempted to do. Hermione made sure to let him know that she expected his absolute best this upcoming year as Harry came the closest to sharing her workload. The Ravenclaws from their year descended on the book like the Eagles they were represented by and distracted themselves reading through it briefly.

Ron had thoughtfully brought together a photo album of his own, showing snippets from their last year that he had secured from Colin Creevey along with some family photos that Harry had earned a place in in the couple of years that he had known the Weasleys. In the album was a handwritten note from Ron that he had written during his time in Egypt that Harry took the time to read but quickly removed so that the book could be passed around. Tracey had read over his shoulder but the contents were not shared with the rest of the group. The contents could be inferred though by those who knew the two boys well enough when Harry clapped Ron on the shoulder and shook him a bit in thanks, small tears threatening to show themselves. Harry discretely passed the note to Hermione who read it in typical Hermione fashion. She glanced up at Ron in shock and amazement for a moment before prompting even more wolf whistles when she leaned in and planted a big kiss on Ron's cheek for the heartfelt gift. Ron's ears earned him a fair bit of friendly teasing after that.

The rest of the gifts were from his fellow year mates and used the same theme as Christmas gifts often did between the acquaintances. Various sweets and gift receipts for local hotspots including many in Hogsmeade in preparation of their planned visits this year. Harry thanked them all for the gifts and they spent a while just chatting in the comfort of the sitting room.

***Break***

The bonfire raged on in front of the remaining party-goers. Many of the younger students from Harry's year had finally reached the end of their curfews or energy and used his Floo to get home after saying their goodbyes. All that remained were Tracey and Daphne, Ron and Hermione, The Gryffindor team along with the Weasleys and Lee Jordan, and the remaining upper-years many of whom had broken away from the party a bit to explore feelings for various others that they had interacted with today. Oliver Wood and Angelina Johnson in particular were cuddling very close together at the end of the dock under one of the throws. Harry's warning of Dobby's watchful eye kept them from doing anything too risque.

Even Ron and Hermione were laid out in a more relaxed manner than they usually were. Ron sitting on one of the cushioned log benches around the fire with Hermione's head in his lap reading a book she had stolen from Harry's library. Harry could tell from his experience with the two friends though that in this go-around the feelings seemed to be more friendly than romantic. Maybe in the future but no signs of their past love at the moment.

Ginny was curled up on a bench of her own, head in Percy's lap and fully burrito'd in one of the throws while Percy read a book of his own that he had secured from the library. She was fully asleep, having given it her all in the pick-up games and Quaffleball earlier that day. She had tried her best to stay awake but after the day's events and plenty of food, she had given up and allowed exhaustion to claim her.

Daphne was perched at the end of Harry's bench, relaxed but alert, allowing Tracey's feet to rest in her lap while her head and back leaned against Harry who had his arm wrapped around her. It had been a fantastic day, all in all, and Harry chalked it up as one of the happiest moments of his life. This was cemented when finally the project that Fred, George, and Lee had been working on finally went off and the sky lit up in a dazzling display of fireworks over the lake that drew the attention of everyone nearby. Those that could got up and walked to the shoreline, Harry showing off some of his magical prowess and levitating the benches to follow. They all sat and watched the fireworks play out over the water, the booms and whistles echoing out into the calm summer night.

Tracey grabbed Harry's hand, leaning into him. Her eyes locked onto the fireworks above. There was a big crescendo in the frequency of the fireworks and Harry let himself be pulled down into her arms in a kiss that lasted longer than any of their previous exchanges. Hazel eyes met green as they so often did and Harry couldn't help but smile at her words.

"Happy Birthday, Harry"

*Fin*

A/N: Holy crap you guys. 12,000 words! That's the most I've written for anything in a long time. I promise that the story will head back into the Gamer life that Harry now occupies but this chapter definitely needed to be written. In case it isn't clear I'm trying to provide some life to the characters in my fanfic and I hope that I did a good enough job here.

Let me know what you think!

'Til next time!


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Hello once again everyone! I've been on a roll so far with the chapters so I'm looking to keep that going as much as I can while the muse is paying me a visit. This chapter we will step back into the Gamer Harry that started all of this, and show some of the growth and plans that he has in store. As well as growth in the Gamer powers at his disposal!

Review answers below.

Nina0116: Thank you for the review! I love Daphne as the kind of quintessential 'blank canvas' character for fanfictions, and fanfics that have her and Harry together are usually among my favorites. This iteration of Daphne battles her upbringing along with social anxieties and perhaps a hint of abuse in the rules she's had to follow. I hope to bring more depth to her character in the coming chapters. Quidditch has been hinted at, obviously, and I'll definitely be doing some scenes that focus entirely on the game. Yes Harry will have some advantages, especially with his skill boons, but it hardly makes him unbeatable. Or at least, I won't let it make him unbeatable.

Frankieu: Always love seeing your comments! Dumbledore will definitely be entering the picture soon, but Harry has also low-key been avoiding the Headmaster. Some of you may have noticed that I removed the Dumbledore bashing warning from my story summary. I'm looking to give him a bit of a chance, and see how I end up writing him. The man was flawed, as all men are, but Harry has begun noticing some butterfly effects in the world around him and these may end up affecting the Headmaster as well.

Beccasullivanwrites1: I loved writing those scenes! Harry is much much more down to earth and observant this go around, and is picking up on things that he was oblivious to before. Daphne's similarities to his own struggles in the social scene brought out a side of Harry that I hope to explore more in the future!

Slocuautla: Thank you SO MUCH. You are my 100th review and such a wonderful review it was! You are correct that Harry has been levelling up some skills in all this planning, playing, and partying! And Ron was one of the largest butterfly effects that Harry has noticed so far. Bill played a large role in Ron's life as a role model and older brother, so I saw a chance to give Ron a chance to grow a lot sooner than canon with Bill's help. There was even a little bromance that made me tear up in the presents scene. The Gamer lifestyle has taken a step back for the moment, but I simply chose not to flood the last chapter with Gamer Notifications but rest assured that Harry had quite a few.

Firetemplar415: You are in luck my friend! This chapter focuses heavily on the Gamer. I hope you enjoy it and thank you for the review!

Kairan1979: You're in luck, I go over a few of these in the chapter below!

TheGreatBubbaJ: Yes, yes he does. But in the chapter below we start to see him use some of his powers to get that money back. Good to see your comments again!

Britgar: Probably not going to happen to the degree that you'd like. I've only met a few British people in my life and definitely don't know the mannerisms well enough to give him that vibe. I, unfortunately, am from the US and a lot of that is going to bleed into my writing whether I like it or not. I'm sorry if that prevents you from reading further but I thank you for the review.

SkylerHollow: Thank you for the review!

TheGreatBubbaJ: He will not be doing all of the classes, sorry if that was confusing. Muggle Studies will not be making an appearance in my fic, sorry. And yes, Dobby's interaction with Hermione will be preventing SPEW. Good Catch! Thank you for the reviews!

And away we go!

Chapter 11: Tutors, Teachings, Training, Tellers and Tension

Sweat sizzled off of the metal that was held tightly in tongs. The hammer came down efficiently and banged off the red-hot iron. Slowly, the metal yielded under the steady rhythmic blows. Harry wiped his brow with the rag that rested on his shoulder before resuming the shaping of the metal before him. He had finally given up on trying to learn the art of Blacksmithing through trial and error and was currently in a forge that was not his own. Scotland's wonderful scenery rolled out behind him but Harry ignored it to focus on the metal before him.

"Again." Came the gruff voice.

Harry obediently dipped the iron into the oil to temper it and put it back into the forge. He stripped the thick dragonhide gloves from his hands and stepped away from the forge and into the brisk Scottish air. He was deep in the northern reaches of the land learning the ins and outs of shaping metal.

"Yer learnin' quick. I like that. But your hammer placement is off, you need to follow the angle of yer strikes or the metal will come out misshapen. Then you'll have to start over and that's no good for anyone 'specially the metal" Balduff said once he too walked out of the forge. He lit his pipe and took a long puff. The man was the definition of burly. His arms were massive, and covered in pockmarks of scars the man had earned from years of dealing with hot metal. He was also one of the best non-Goblin smiths around. A squib, but one that put no stock in magic instead trusting hard work and good steel.

_Blacksmithing skill has increased! It is now 18!_

Even just talking to the man usually yielded insight in the art of Blacksmithing and Harry knew that it was well worth the trip up here. The man made his home in a small village near the Northern Sea, enjoying the briney and brisk air when he stepped out of his forge. Harry was enjoying this air as well as it was such a stark contrast to the stifling atmosphere of the forge. Harry had found the man with the assistance of the Goblins, who had eyed him peculiarly when he inquired about learning Blacksmithing. In their eyes nothing compared to Goblin-Forged so why even bother? But with a bit of coin to make them see it his way, he had received an address.

Initially Balduff had wanted nothing to do with Harry, thinking him a rich boy looking for a hobby to look good for the ladies. The gruff man had told Harry exactly where to shove it, and said to look into fencing like the other noble brats. But when Harry showed up again the next day and the day after that, simply watching the man work, Balduff had acquiesced and put Harry to work shoveling coals thinking that a bit of sweaty work would send the pretty boy running home to Daddy. But Harry had done everything asked of him, until finally the man put a hammer into Harry's surprisingly callused hands and showed him how to swing it. That had been 3 days ago and already Harry was learning more than he had thought he would.

Balduff had scoffed at the idea of Harry only staying to learn for a week, telling him that the metal wouldn't give up its secrets so easily, but again Harry had surprised him with startling growth. The boy was a prodigy if there ever was one, and Balduff gave him increasingly difficult tasks and maneuvers to do in the forge. He also never seemed to tire, able to keep up with the practiced man for a full day of forging.

Tomorrow, Harry knew that he would complete the quest he had received when he got into the town.

_Learn the Arts of Smithing. Reach skill rank 30 and successfully forge an Iron Sword! Rewards: 15 skill points, a 5 point bonus in the art of Smithing, and title Smithing Apprentice!_

***Break****

His week-long stint in Northern Scotland was over. And for a guy that wasn't really able to get tired he was pretty exhausted. Balduff had been a taskmaster, criticizing every small mistake and making Harry start over repeatedly until finally, blessedly, Harry produced a finished product. And on his last day at the forge, no less. No words of congratulations other than Tyran's voice telling him that he had in fact completed the quest. Indeed Balduff almost looked disappointed.

The gruff man had come to enjoy Harry's company oddly enough. The young man, for Balduff had stopped referring to him as a boy at some point during the week, had been tenacious in his pursuit of the craft and there was no fault that Balduff could find in the sword laid out across the table. It was not a pretty sword nor one masterfully forged but it showed a firm understanding of the basics. It was solid metal work which was all that Balduff had wanted out of Harry. The man simply exited the forge and took the familiar seat on the bench outside. Harry soon joined him and they watched the waves roll in from the Northern Sea.

"So that's it then?" Harry said from his position on the bench. The silence had been companionable but Harry was simply too curious not to ask.

"Aye" The man replied. Harry nodded, Balduff noted from the corner of his eye and the burly man nodded as well. The brisk wind carried no sound but the sound of waves and a refreshing burn from the cold sea.

***Break***

Harry stepped into his Study for the first time in a week and crossed Blacksmithing off of the list on the board. He stepped around his desk and sat in his seat. An unfamiliar clang of metal echoed through the room and Harry observed the sword on his desk. Balduff had been right, it wasn't the prettiest sword. It was rough, almost crude, but it was undeniably a sword. The handle had a simple leather grip that Balduff had wrapped around it. Focusing at it, Harry saw it glow in his eyes.

_Iron Sword._

It was just a sword. But it showed commitment. It showed hard work. Hell, Harry was pretty sure that along with his sweat there was probably some blood in there too. Pride swelled up in Harry and he picked the sword up again to observe the geometrical integrity of it. Practice would let him produce fancier, better, stronger swords. But they would probably pale in comparison to how this sword made him feel.

Harry could have made the sword with his Gamer crafting system, and likely finished his quest in even faster time but Harry had learned surprisingly quickly during his foray into Scotland with Balduff that the _act _of doing things yielded better results than abusing the Gamer privileges. He had finally picked up a Feat from the trip into the Chamber, choosing Mage-Sight. It was this skill that had led to his impressive growth more than anything. With it he was able to Identify things and see the flaws of created objects. Using this method he was able to refine the process and usually produced a better product after each attempt. It was this along with Balduff's tutelage that had produced the sword before him.

"Dobby" A pop of arrival sounded in the room "Put this over the mantle please. Maybe a glass case or a wall mount. Use your judgement. Thank you"

"Of course, Master Harry" A pop of departure.

Harry grinned at Dobby's professionalism. The Elf had been a constant companion since he moved into the manor, and had come a long way the same as Harry. Gone were the odd mannerisms and twitches developed during the Elf's time with the Malfoys. In its place was a perfect servant and companion. Dobby had paid extreme attention to Harry in the short time that he had been at the Manor and astounded Harry every day with his attention to detail. Without even asking Dobby seemed ready for the next steps in Harry's days. Always ready. But they also talked, and joked, in companionship that had won Harry the loyalty of Dobby more than anything else.

Shaking his head to clear it of the musings Harry looked up at his to-do list. It had grown and shrunk but showed progress. And that was what Harry felt like he needed at the moment. Progress. Term was set to begin in 3 weeks and there still felt like so much to do. Balduff had shown him that practice and tutelage would yield him better results than anything else, so for the first time in a while Harry stood up and walked to the board with an eraser in his hand. The board was clean for only a moment before Harry started writing with clean confident purpose.

_Logistics skill has increased! It is now 23!_

***Break***

After his return from his visit to Balduff, Harry dove into his training regimen with a fervor. Every day started at 1 AM after an hour of sleep, still leaving him plenty rested of course as he didn't need sleep anyways, and had him in the Dueling room firing a storm of spells at the walls and the targets. Mage-Sight served to improve his aim with its inherent increase to Perception. The mirrors in the room showed a boy that was growing fast, looking almost 15 despite being 13. Harry reviewed various compendiums of spells during Magicka recharges and actually completed a Quest that he had completely forgotten about on his 2nd day.

_Opportunity Seized! Timed Event Completed. Master 10 spells by the end of the Summer to receive a unique reward!_

_Rewards: Wandless and Silent Casting Skills unlocked!_

Harry took the towel floating before him without a word and dabbed his hair dry as he walked through the manor. A sandwich floated towards him from the kitchen, courtesy of a wordless and wandless Wingardium Leviosa and he made short work of the quick meal. Taking a sudden right to head into the basement, Harry stepped into the Potions Lab already pulling ingredients from the wall and his Inventory. A reference book was opened in front of him, and he started the fire beneath the cauldron.

Letting the soothing process of Potions occupy his mind was a wonderful part of his morning routine. Regulating the heat with a critical eye that he had not had before his tutelage from Balduff, Harry was able to produce cleaner and more efficient Potion results. That was another thing that he had noticed pretty early on with his new routine. The progress that he made with various skills and new boons was addicting in the sense that as he increased his skills in one area it would actually tend to bleed insight into other areas. It was a glorious feeling. Plus the growth was tangible and quantifiable, which served to give Harry a giddy feeling whenever a Notification popped up.

_Potions Skill has increased! It is now 35!_

***Break***

Madeline smirked at Harry who returned the look. They circled one another carefully, a dance in its own right before with a flurry of activity their swords _cracked_ against one another with a sharp and sudden sound. They separated and the dance began anew. His first few duels in the Swordsmanship class had shown that while he had talent he lacked experience and skill. But with the help of Madeline and their instructor Cadence, he had come a long way. Now Harry was able to take Madeline on even footing and it had only taken 6 days!

The wooden swords came together again in a blur of speed, this exchange lasting for a series of blows. The dancer used her fancy footwork to position herself to meet Harry's surprisingly strong strikes and he was unable to score a clean hit. They separated once more, both grinning from the exertion.

_Sword Skill has increased! It is now 50! Boon Unlocked!_

This Notification had come 2 days ago, and with the introduction of the boon Heavy-Handed: Strikes with a held object deal more damage! (+1 to Strength Base Score), Harry had proved a hard challenge for Madeline.

"Time!" Came the almost sing-song voice of Cadence, a woman almost a decade younger than Madeline.

Harry and Madeline released their breath that they had been holding in preparation of the next exchange, and smiled at each other. Harry had used the card that he had received from his dance classes and enrolled into the Swordsmanship class not being sure what to expect. He had been pleasantly surprised by the instructor though. Much like Madeline Cadence was a picture of fitness. But whereas Madeline struck an image of a dancer, Cadence struck the image of a warrior. Her blonde hair was styled in a purely practical manner, usings braids and a bun to keep it out of her face giving her almost a viking look. Her arms weren't large but they had a wiry muscle that only came from repeated use. The woman was a monster when it came to swordsmanship though, and if it weren't for the healing perks of the Gamer Harry would still have the bruises to prove it. A winner of multiple competitions in a sport typically dominated by men she was definitely a force to be reckoned with even, if not because, of her young age.

"How the heck are you getting so good so fast?" Madeline asked after she pulled the towel she had just used to clean her face away from her mouth. In the 2 weeks since Harry had joined the class he had risen up in skill very quickly, officially facing her who was a top student in her own right, after just 5 days in the class.

Harry grinned cheekily. When he joined the class he hadn't been expecting the rate that he had grown to be so extreme, but with the points he had already earned in Sword during the Chamber run the official tutelage had made the resultant growth explosive. And unlike skeletons Madeline was able to strike with speed and ferocity while also defending against Harry's own strikes. This had yielded chunks of Skill experience in every exchange.

"I've had a good teacher" Harry replied simply, which made Madeline snort.

"No you just want to impress the cute teacher" She quipped. The two students, more apart in age than Madeline was going to admit, made an unlikely friendship. But Harry had enjoyed Madeline's sheer… Muggle-ness after his time in the Wizarding World and the two had paired off almost exclusively since Harry joined the class.

"Is she cute? I hadn't noticed" Harry busied himself putting his gear away in his backpack.

"You can't fool these eyes, Harry. I see you checking her out during class" Madeline placed her wooden sword in the locker and clipped the padlock closed.

Harry grimaced unseen. It was true, Cadence was very cute. It bothered him that even with his growing relationship with Tracey he still couldn't keep his eyes in check. Madeline clapped him on the shoulder to shake him from his self-deprecation.

"There's nothing wrong with looking, as long as you stay on the right side of the fine line between curious and creepy. I'm sure your girlfriend will forgive you" Madeline had done this very sort of interaction after about a week since Harry had started the class. It was almost a big sister vibe which made sense given that Madeline lost her little brother a few years ago when he was around the same age that Harry was now. She wasn't looking to adopt him or anything of the sort but she felt a small sense of protectiveness for the boy and really enjoyed the moments where she could share some nuggets of wisdom that she was unable to share with her late brother.

"Are you coming with me today?" Madeline asked as she laced up her shoes. Harry was doing the same next to her.

"Of course" Harry said and they waved farewell to Cadence and started a light jog out the door. They had started this on the 2nd day when Madeline noticed that Harry had the same routine as her, a run after class just for a little more sweat in the day. There wasn't a good reason not to so they both started running together, introducing a bit of companionship and competition to their midday jog. Sporadic sprints from them both kept the interaction light but challenging and they made it to their lunch spot. It was here that they made small talk before going their separate ways for the day. It was a fun break from the busy days for Harry and he found himself looking forward to it often.

Today though there was just a little bonus for Harry.

_Running Skill has increased! It is now 25! Boon Unlocked!_

Long-Winded was a no brain choice for Harry, as it offered increased lung capacity and a bonus to his Constitution score that was very welcome. He received a teasing remark from the intense look he unintentionally was giving some woman, who he couldn't see through his Character Sheet, but he took it in stride and took a few shots back at Madeline when she side-eyed a very fit runner that passed their small cafe they had chosen for lunch.

***Break***

What Madeline didn't know was that some days after the run and lunch, Harry would go out for even more exercise. The boy knew that once term began he'd be focusing more on Magical and Mental Skills so Harry wanted to cram as much Physical training into his time left that he could. This was why he could be found at a large gym 3 days out of the week where he made use of the weight-training equipment and other facilities the place had to offer. It had also prompted him to take a Swimming class that had yielded fantastic results.

_Swimming Skill has increased! It is now 25! Boon Unclocked!_

Amazingly this skill also had the Boon Long-Winded which did the same as the Boon from Running and was again a no brain choice for Harry. It had seen a lot of growth though, after some practice at home as well, and was already in the 40s with another Boon just over the horizon.

The gym was only used for about 3 hours so that Harry had time to pop over to Hogsmeade and help Hagrid with the Skinning, Tanning, Leatherworking and Groundskeeper duties. His forays into the Forest had been stopped after a word to Hagrid from Albus, but that didn't stop Hagrid from teaching Harry more about the work he did over the summers including opportunities to practice Harry's Clipping on some of the plants that Hagrid grew in his personal garden. The shears were unwieldy in Hagrid's hand so the man appreciated Harry's help as the boy was able to get a lot of yield from not a lot of plants.

_Skinning Skill has increased! It is now 25! Boon Unlocked!_

_Tanning Skill has increased! It is now 25! Boon Unlocked!_

_Leatherworking Skill has increased! It is now 25! Boon Unlocked!_

_Clipping Skill has increased! It is now 31!_

Archery was also something that Harry enjoyed immensely and he was able to practice with Hagrids help, shooting at a log the giant man had stabbed into the ground for Harry.

_Archery Skill has increased! It is now 25! Boon Unlocked!_

Harry honestly felt like he had made crazy progress these past 2 weeks. More and more he noticed Boons layered onto Boons and skills bled into one another and it looked like he was going to be taking the next year by storm. His new Boons included his Archery Boon Pin-Point. You are able to easily track your target, and have a greater chance of landing shots. His Tanning Boon Tanning Extraordinaire. Hide you prepare is produced at a higher quality. Leatherworking provided Scrappy. Leather Armor you Dismantle returns more of the materials. His Skinning Boon intimidated him a little but knew it could help in some situations. Flesh-Peeler. Your skill with a knife is noticeable. Attacks with Blades and blade-like Spells are more likely to cause a bleeding effect. Clipping had seen a lot of growth, but the Boon was a little boring. Clipper Proficiency. Yield from plants increased 5%. These joined the Hammer Boon he had unlocked from Blacksmithing. Hammer! Your blows hit with an unexpected force. Results Vary. (+1 to Strength Base Score).

***Break***

Breath! Stroke, stroke, stroke. Breath! Stroke, stroke, stroke. Harry speared through the water of his indoor pool. The day had finally come, he could feel it. Excitement pushed Harry hard and he flipped in the water to kick off the wall and shoot off in the opposite direction. He wasn't going to stop, or quit, not with it so close. His lungs burned even with his Boons, but he pushed on. His arms were a blur as they swept through the water, pulling him through the water like an arrow. Blessedly, just over the noise of his feet kicking and arms splashing he heard it.

_Swimming Skill has increased! It is now 50! Boon Unlocked!_

_Timed Quest Completed! Acquire 10 new Boon Unlocks! Reward: 100 Skill Points, you rapscallion you! 2 Feat Points awarded! 5 Perk Points Awarded! Level Up awarded!_

_Ding! Level Up! You are now Level 10! 20 Skill Points awarded. 120 Points unspent. 5 Stat Points awarded. 5 Stat Points unused. 2 Feat Point unuseds. 5 Perk Points unused._

_Congrats! You are Level 10! Class Specialization Unlocked! You are now a Sorcerer! Class Specialization bonuses doubled!_

"RAHHHHHHH!" Harry stopped and jumped out of the water in excitement, letting loose a triumphant roar. He had done it. The very reason that he had pushed himself so hard these past 2 and a half weeks was finally realized. The Quest that had taunted him since just before he went to sleep on his Birthday night.

_Happy Birthday Harry! Timed Quest! Acquire 10 new Boon Unlocks! Reward: Unknown*** Time Limit: End of Summer!_

The Reward Notification was the first time that anything, _anything, _in the Notification field had been gold and not the typical white-gray. So tough to achieve but so tempting, it had occupied every thought and every action of the last 2 weeks. And for it to provide a Level, 2 Feat Points, his Class Specialization to get better, and 5 bloody Perk Points?!

"AHHHHHHHH!" Finally Harry spent his breath and flopped back into the water, letting the water hold him up and just floating in victory. Tears of achievement tickled his eyes but he had a face-cracking smile on his face. What a wonderful feeling!

'I love being The Gamer!' Harry thought to himself and pulled himself out of the water. He had to see Tracey, this feeling demanded it. Luckily they were scheduled to meet up in Diagon today for shopping for supplies. He cast a silent and wandless drying charm on himself and sprinted through the hall, almost breaking the door off the hinges when he reached his room.

"DOBBY WHERE ARE MY PANTS!" Harry roared across the house.

***Break***

Tracey applied the make-up with a practiced hand. Normally she just applied the basics but wanted to doll herself up a little for the trip to Diagon. The supply letters had come a week later than usual for some reason, so the place was going to be packed. She was meeting Harry and Daphne at the Leaky Cauldron, under the watchful eye of Lord Greengrass as her father was stuck in some meeting with Lucius Malfoy today.

She almost stabbed herself in the eye with her applicator when Litty popped into the room next to her.

"Milady, Lord Harry Potter has arrived" Litty said, clicking her fingers to get the clothes off of the floor that Tracey had piled there.

"Already?! I'm not ready! Errr… stall him!" Tracey panicked a bit. She was maybe halfway through her make-up, her hair was still a bit wet and unstyled, and she was in her under-clothes for Merlin's sake!

Cursing Harry for his early arrival, Tracey adjusted accordingly and finished the task she was on at the moment. Using techniques that her mother taught her she pulled her hair into a tight bun and let it fall before repeating the process again a few more times. It lent her hair waves and actually worked well with the slightly wet look. She hit it with a light spray of hairspray courtesy of her Muggle-ish mother to prevent frizzing.

Clothes! Ugh, Litty had moved her clothes off the floor! She had been sorting those dammit! Knowing that Lord Greengrass was a stickler for etiquette she selected a blouse and skirt combo to wear under her nicest robes. It'd have to do, she thought to herself. Litty met her outside the room, and with another clock of the Elf's fingers flattened the wrinkles on Tracey's clothes. She simply nodded at Tracey's thankful look.

"Harry! You were supposed to be here in 2 hours!" Tracey called down the stairs, taking them 2 at a time to the disapproving eye of her mother at the bottom. She stuck her tongue out to her mother who replied with a light swat to the arm and stepped towards the sitting room.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry. You look great, have I told you that?" Harry grinned from where he was standing next to the Floo.

"What are you doing here so early?" Tracey blushed a bit at the compliment and gave Harry a curtsy, not risking a hug or a kiss with her mother right behind her. Harry bowed in return, lingering on her knuckles for just a moment longer than was considered appropriate.

"Am I not allowed to surprise you?" Harry asked cheekily. He took a moment to bow in front of Lady Davis, kissing her knuckles as well. Litty had greeted him at the Floo so he had yet to see either lady of the house before now.

"Not when I'm getting ready, no! What if I had been naked!" Tracey's eyes were accusatory, she didn't like rushing to get ready.

"Well-" Harry coughed when Lady Davis shot him a 'watch yourself' look "You're right, I'm sorry. I received great news this morning and got excited"

Tracey's eyes softened just a bit, "Oh? What was the news?"

Harry's eyes got big. What was the news? He couldn't tell them about anything Gamer related. "Errr…" He racked his brain, reviewing the letters the two had been exchanging during his training.

Luckily Lady Davis came to the rescue, "Tracey, you know it's impolite to inquire about business matters with a Lord"

Harry hid a sigh of relief, and they sat in the seats in the sitting room, occupying themselves for a short while with light conversation under the caring watch of Litty who served them tea and biscuits.

***Break***

Whoosh! Harry held Tracey tightly as they spun through the Floo, Tracey insisting on going with Harry as an excuse to get close to him at least once today. She chose to ignore the disapproving look of her mother at the familiar contact between the 2 teens. Suddenly the spinning stopped and Harry gracefully led them out of the fireplace of the Leaky Cauldron, his Lord persona at full blast in preparation of meeting the esteemed Lord Greengrass. Originally Harry had planned to go shopping with the Weasleys and Hermione who had gone yesterday but could not ignore Tracey's request to come with them when Tracey had heard that it would be Lord Greengrass escorting her and Daphne today instead of the usual Lord Davis. Tracey did not like the cold man.

And 'cold man' described Lord Greengrass perfectly in his dark Acromantula silk robes as he loomed over the rest of the Patrons in the Leaky Cauldron. The man cut an imposing figure with his slicked salt and pepper hair and thick moustache. A silver cane not unlike Lucius Malfoy's was gripped firmly and planted directly in front of the man. Where Daphne's striking blue eyes were cold and guarded, the Greengrass patron's eyes were cold and calculating. They seemed to measure anyone and everything that they pierced through. It was this man that Tracey walked up to and curtsied deeply.

"Heir Davis" even the man's voice cut through the air as if it were bothered that the air was in the way of his voice in the first place.

"Lord Greengrass, please allow me to introduce Lord Harry Potter" Tracey indicated to Harry next to her, worried about the next exchange. She knew that if the man felt like it he could make both her and Harry's life hard, his reach being very far-reaching in most circles.

Harry eyed the man in front of him, immediate dislike being hidden well behind a mask. "Lord Greengrass, what an honor. Your recent work in the Wizengamot has been widely discussed. Congratulations on a close vote on your recent legislation"

"Quite. It's a shame that you were not there Lord Potter, I would have been interested in your thoughts on the matter" He shook Harry's hand, unable to match the firm grip that Harry gave him.

Harry hid his annoyance, the recent legislation that Lord Greengrass had spearheaded had set Werewolf rights even further back.

"Indeed. Unfortunately I have been busy with other matters and have not yet found a proxy that matches my views. I would have enjoyed the chance to help vote" Harry omitted the fact that he would have been voting against Lord Greengrass's legislation.

Harry turned to Daphne and bowed lower than he was required, and bowed before her curtsy, a double sign of respect for the girl. "Heir Greengrass. You look well"

"Lord Potter, you as well," Daphne said in her controlled and monotone voice. She curtsied.

Lord Greengrass fumed silently at the boy in front of him. He could tell based on the exchanges that Harry had slighted him just a bit, but could not call him out on it without slighting his own daughter. Something he could not do in public.

Tracey took Harry's offered arm and the odd and tense group headed into the Alley.

***Break***

Diagon Alley was bustling. With the late arrival of the supply letters there were multiple families keeping the Alley very busy, and if not for Harry Potter and Jackson Greengrass cutting through the crowd like a ship in water the group would have had trouble getting anywhere. Luckily the two commanded a presence that was almost palpable and sent child and adult alike out of the way.

Tracey looked discreetly at Harry in amazement. It was like seeing someone else. Gone was the fun-loving, sweet, excitable boy that she had grown to like quite a bit. In his place stood a young man that seemed every bit the equal of the Lord Greengrass that he walked next to. To her right she could tell even through Daphne's mask that she was having the same thoughts. It was almost scary the transformation Harry had gone through almost immediately upon their arrival.

Harry however was a storm of emotion behind a mask of stone. He really did not like Lord Greengrass. Something about the man just rubbed him the wrong way, and ruined his good mood from earlier that day. The cold eyes, the way that he seemed to generate no warmth towards Daphne. He reminded Harry of Lucius Malfoy, if Lucius had no love for his son. Already Harry was ready for the day to end.

They visited Twilfit first for robes, Harry selecting 2 sets of school robes and paying for Tracey's 4 sets. She seemed shocked at his gesture, but caught his nod to Daphne where the blonde was pulling out her own purse to pay for her robes. Harry's grimace was caught by Tracey as well but missed by Lord Greengrass who was getting fitted for his own robes.

Tracey nodded at the unasked suggestion and stepped next to Daphne, where she slipped the shocked girl her own coin-purse. Tracey knew that Daphne was forced to pay for her own tuition and supplies from her late mother's inheritance. It had been a hardship that Daphne rarely commented on. They argued for a quiet moment, with Tracey nodding to Harry drawing Daphne's guarded blue eyes to his green ones. Harry nodded and Daphne finally added the coins to her own with a nod at Harry.

The group made short work at Flourish where the teller was actually a good acquaintance of Harry's from his time in Diagon, who had them squared away with that year's books in record time given the crowd in the store. The teller also slipped Harry a catalogue of their newest additions that he slipped into his inner robe pocket for a later perusal. Harry wordlessly shrank the books and carried them for the girls, to a grateful and surprised look from Tracey who had dreaded carrying the books for the rest of the day. Lord Greengrass was known to the girls to not bother casting magic on their behalf. His Inventory made it no issue but he smiled slightly at Tracey showing the first bit of warmth in a while. Lord Greengrass did not miss the casual display of wordless magic, a feat in and of itself and all the more impressive from a 13 year old, but again could not comment without being rude in a public setting. It made his rage boil just a little hotter.

Their next stop at the Apothecary brought the tension to a head when Lord Greengrass's hand latched onto Daphne's wrist when she went to pay for her supplies. A well manicured hand plucked the purse out of her hand and a careful eye counted the contents.

"What is this" His cool voice echoed ominously across the store. His eyes stabbed into his daughter's own.

"Charity? Or have you started whoring yourself out? Answer me" Lord Greengrass's voice was just low enough that only Harry, who had stepped closer when the man had grabbed his daughter, was the only person besides Daphne to hear his cold accusations.

"I've been saving" Daphne replied carefully, mindful of the look in her father's eyes.

"When? How? I have tracked your mother's inheritance for every Knut. I know how much you brought today and this is much more. So what is this. Payment from Potter for service?" His grip tightened and a flash of pain crossed Daphne's face, prompting Harry to intervene.

"That's enough, Lord Greengrass" Harry stepped forward, eyes locked onto Daphne's face.

"DO not… Do not tell me how to manage my family's affairs, boy" Jackson responded cooly, the anger at being called out by a 13 year old simmering just below the surface "You do not need to protect your whore while she is part of this family"

Boy. That word was so infuriating to Harry, memories of dark nights in the cupboard after hearing that word coming to his mind. It was second only to Freak.

"I'd advise you to watch your tone and accusations with me" Harry warned. Tracey placed a hand on Harry's arm when she noticed that their voices were carrying just a little farther and starting to get the attention of the other patrons in the store.

"Or what? Come on, Daphne, we're leaving before you get the urge to spread your legs for this fool of a Boy Lord any wider" Lord Greengrass started to pull Daphne away from the counter and to the door.

"Greengrass" Harry's voice echoed over the store with chilling authority. Both Greengrasses stopped and turned at the tone. A glove whistled through the silent air and slapped against Lord Greengrass's face with an audible noise. As it fell off of Jackson's face seemingly in slow motion, it revealed a face of outrage. Lord Greengrass threw Daphne's wrist from his grip and stepped angrily into Harry's personal space. Harry's face didn't flinch at the intrusion.

_Etiquette Skill has increased! It is now 34!_

_Intimidation skill has increased! It is now 30!_

"You dare?" the voice was cold and angry, and perfectly matched the face that Lord Greengrass had.

"I dare." Harry replied, shoving the man away from him with both hands with shocking force, causing the man to be thrown back and bounce off of the wall. Ingredients clattered to the floor next to where Lord Greengrass fumed from his position on the ground.

_Fisticuffs Skill unlocked! It is now 1!_

*Fin*

Oooooo, oh no he didn't! Stay tuned! That last scene wrote itself, and I'm actually giddy at the ideas for the results of that exchange.

'Til next time!


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: OOOOOOOOOO. So many ideas! So many opportunities! Scenes are warring in my head for the upcoming chapter. Read on folks! I'm excited.

Review answers below.

Frankieu: Thank you for the review! I hope you enjoy this chapter, definitely some interesting twists and turns in here.

TheGreatBubbaJ: Love reading your reviews! I hope I paid justice to your concerns. This chapter is a wild ride.

Adrian King1: I'm hoping to avoid a burnout as well, but these cliffhangers are hitting me as hard if not harder than its hitting you guys and the chapters just keep rolling out. If the muse wants to play, I'm not going to tell it no. Also the Boon for Blacksmithing is Boon: Hammer! Your blows hit with an unexpected force. Results Vary. (+1 to Strength Base Score)

Beccasullivanwrites1: I had to look that one up but yes, It's Time. Thank you for the review!

Mermizle: Thank you so much! I know, these cliffhangers are killing me too! That's part of what has brought on such frequent updates though.

Firetemplar415: Oh it's gonna be more than a tussle mate. Thank you for the review!

Vallavarayan: The Knight Bus is for chumps and poor people. Kidding, but in all fairness Portkeys are much faster and less hectic. Plus Harry is pulling from past memories, multiple occasions where a Portkey would have saved him a lot of trouble. And his higher intelligence has made him exercise caution and always having a back up. Even a backup for a backup of a backup. Thank you for the review!

Fang723: Thank you for the review!

And away we go!

Chapter 12: Diagon Duels, Dogs and Daring Escapes.

Aurors pushed the crowd back, making space in the street. They had been called in shortly after the glove had been thrown and were doing their best to seize control of the pandemonium. The crowd clamored for a better view and the noise was intense. Tracey bit her lip worriedly in the doorway of the Apothecary, clutching Daphne's hand in mutual support. They both watched Harry and Lord Greengrass prepare for the duel. Lord Greengrass pulled his wand from his cane and eyed it critically before brandishing it twice and turning to face Harry.

Harry had stripped off his robe, showing off an impressive physique for anyone but especially someone his age. His recent increases to Strength and Constitution were doing wonders for his look. He had on a formal button-up and slacks that looked restricting until he casually waved his hand and to the shock of the observers his outfit changed entirely. A full set of Dueling Robes, and dragonhide boots appeared on him. He touched his glasses and they changed to their goggle orientation to give him better vision and eliminate chances for them to come off at any point during the duel.

_Pause!_

Harry took a moment to dump a staggering 109 points into Dueling, bringing it up to 75. He selected the Boons Dancer of Death which harmonized his Dancing Skill with his Dueling one, as well as Hit 'Em Where It Hurts which boosted his accuracy tremendously. He was going to do his utmost to destroy Lord Greengrass. For Daphne. The Game seemed to agree with him as a Notification popped up for him.

_Quest Started! Free the Greengrass Girls from their Father! Reward: 2 Feat Points, +5 to Dueling, 2 Stat Points, 100,000 Galleons_

Acknowledging the Quest, Harry scrolled through his available Feats to see if anything would help him here. Seeing nothing that stood out, he placed his 5 Stat Points into his Constitution to stay true to his plan to bring his stats to 20. 17 would have to be enough for now and he adjusted the slider next to Strength so that he did not change appearance due to the change. His Stamina and Health showed a welcome increase thanks to the spent points and Harry knew that he was as ready as he could be at the moment.

_Unpause!_

"The Law of Rightful Challenge has been issued. What are the reasons for this duel?" This question came from a man in purple Wizengamot robes that had been called in to mediate the duel. The man motioned to Harry.

While formal duels were uncommon they were still used in extreme circumstances when words would not suffice. There were rarely occasions for them but laws were in place to manage them wherever they occurred. When the glove was thrown, it was customary to call in the Aurors and inform them of an Official Challenge, whereupon a team of Aurors would come in and secure the area. Then a member of the Wizengamot would come in to mediate and ensure that any terms were met on behalf of the winner of the challenge. Both duelists would be able to list their reasons for the duel as well as any terms they had upon victory.

"For slights upon the honor of House Potter, and defamation of character despite verbal warning" Harry stretched on his side of the large circle and took in deep breaths.

The man nodded and indicated Lord Greengrass who said, "Interfering with House Greengrass business, and for soiling my daughter!"

"I did no such thing!" Harry yelled across the circle, fuming that the man would dare to think Daphne would stoop to such a level.

"Gentleman" The man warned them both with his tone. "Now, Lord Greengrass, as the Challenged you may name your terms first"

"Dissolution of House Potter, and payment of 100,000 Galleons" The crowd gasped at the declaration. To call for dissolution of a House was extreme, and only used in the rarest of duels. It was pretty clear to everyone that Lord Greengrass was pissed.

"Noted. And your terms Lord Potter?" The man motioned for Harry.

"Release of Daphne Greengrass and Astoria Greengrass to be wards of House Potter, where they will be allowed to keep their family name and inheritances due them at this moment" Harry spat on the ground, the challenge clear.

It was Daphne who gasped this time. Dissolution of a House was extreme, but to take the Heir of a family into Wardship would label House Potter the better House in the eyes of society, until such time that Daphne and Astoria were married and were released from Wardship. It would cripple House Greengrass immensely while allowing Daphne and Astoria freedom. And to secure their inheritances and names, in case that Jackson Greengrass took offense and changed his will or banished them from his family in retribution, was a calculated move.

"What does that mean?" Tracey asked her friend, she was an Heir as well but this was a bit out of her area of expertise having not needed to learn the rules of Dueling before.

"Did you tell him about Astoria?" Daphne asked, wondering how Harry had known that if Daphne was gone all of the hardships she endured would be transferred to her younger sister. A sister whose health was not the best given an old curse her family suffered from. She hadn't mentioned Astoria to Harry at any point that she knew of, nor her sister's affliction.

"No, I would never" Tracey looked at her friend with her eyes projecting as much sincerity as they could.

Daphne sighed, her mind was running wild, "It means that if Harry wins, he just declared House Potter superior to House Greengrass and freed Astoria and I from any control of my father"

Tracey gasped at the implications. She looked at Harry and bit her lip hard, worry apparent on her face. Dissolution of his House would mean that Harry would lose everything.

"Noted. Are the terms agreeable to both parties?" The mediator intoned heavily, his voice clear across the Alley.

Lord Greengrass raged. He wanted to cripple the boy, thinking him unworthy of the title of Lord and unaware of the implications of a Dueling Challenge and the terms therein. Then the boy went and literally spit on that challenge and called for terms that, while technically lesser, would cripple his House just as effectively as his own terms would House Potter. He would look weak if he rejected the terms, but hesitated for just a moment.

"They are!" Harry's voice rang out over the crowd and caused an uproar in the level of noise. The people gathered were getting caught up in the excitement and were calling for blood.

Lord Greengrass grimaced in anger, he would look weaker now if he hesitated longer.

"They are" he said with finality.

***Break***

The shield rose up around the two duelists, maintained by the team of Aurors. Harry finished stretching and readied his wand. His Hotbar was fully primed for the duel and his mind was startlingly clear from anything other than the man in front of him. They would have no Seconds in this duel, as neither wanted to look weak in front of the other. The rules were simple. No illegal spells. Everything else was fairplay. They would duel until death or yield, whichever came first.

"Lords to their starting positions" The man, revealed to be Lord Abbott, was on the balcony of a nearby store. Just outside the shield, but able to see the entire duel from the vantage point.

Harry and Lord Greengrass walked to their starting positions. 15 meters directly opposite, as was customary. Lord Abbott watched the proceedings with a critical eye, very interested in the outcome. He watched Harry closest of all. His daughter had come back a few weeks ago from a party at Lord Potter's home, an event he insisted his daughter attend, and she had come back with grand stories of a fantastic party celebrating the Lord's 13th birthday. 13 years of age, the boy should hardly be called intimidating but when observed walking to the starting position Harry struck an imposing confident figure. Impressive. Perhaps he would pay Lord Potter a visit at some point, if he somehow won this duel. Then Lord Abbott turned his eye to Lord Greengrass. The man was well known in higher social circles as cold and ruthless. A true Slytherin. While not proven to have anything to do with Voldemort during the Dark Lord's reign of terror, the man's insistence on maintaining a neutral position while still spouting anti-Muggleborn rhetoric had drawn a lot of suspicion.

"Wands up!" Lord Abbott yelled, having to raise his voice even with the Sonorous charm active as the crowd was becoming restless. Harry and Jackson brought their wands up in differing stances. Lord Greengrass's was more traditional. Right foot forward and wand at shoulder height pointed at an angle forward and up. A stance able to attack or defend depending on the preference. Harry's was more unorthodox. Feet shoulder width apart and askew slightly, with wand hand forward and down and off hand behind and above. It was a stance that favored swordsman, but Harry had no sword.

"DUEL!"

***Break***

Harry's offhand flashed for just a moment in movement and the Sword of Gryffindor sang through the air to slap away 2 spells in quick succession. His other hand was equally busy sending back a volley of his own, a disarm, stunner, cutter combo, and the duel officially began. The appearance of the sword had caused a wave of noise to wash over the crowd that could see the action but Harry ignored it. It did serve to shock Lord Greengrass into hesitating for just a moment, long enough for the Cutting charm to graze the man's thigh. It was superficial, but first blood to Potter.

The cutter brought forth the wrath of the Greengrass patron, and the two exchanged a fierce flurry of spells. Stunners were exchanged for bludgeoners and both parties looked ready to kill. Harry's shield and sword defense held against the wide repertoire of his opponent while his fast and furious style was blocked and deflected with ruthless efficiency. It was clear to Harry that if he had not dumped those points into Dueling he would be outmatched. Luckily he had had the foresight not to remain confident in his current skills and was able to match Lord Greengrass blow for blow.

Almost as if in agreement, both duelists stopped their flurry in exchange for circling their opponent. Lord Greengrass took the moment to summon his cane back to his hand from where he had put it before and revealed a fencing sword from the other end which now occupied the man's left hand. Harry was unsure if the man knew how to use it as well as his wand, but didn't fancy the idea of finding out the hard way given that his sword was a broadsword and likely much slower than his opponent's thin bladed weapon.

"Give up, Potter. You're decades too young to be challenging me. Save some face now and forfeit" Lord Greengrass taunted, catching his breath behind his words.

"Oh, the esteemed Lord Greengrass isn't above taunting? It's refreshing to see you stooping to a level more suited to you" Harry returned fire with a taunt of his own.

His words had the effect that Harry wanted and the man allowed himself a moment of anger. The Bonebreaker curse was a step up from their previous exchanges and it looked for a moment that Harry would let it hit him. At the last moment however he threw his sword into the path of the incoming spell and sidestepped, letting the force of the spell knock his sword behind him to allow him the free hand to bring forth a brick of iron from his Inventory, the material quickly and efficiently Transfigured into balls reminiscent of lead bullets but about the size of tennis balls that he carefully Banished at his opponent. The use of raw iron proved to be a good move as it had unique characteristics when interacting with magic, needing a higher level of power to be manipulated or blocked. It smashed through Greengrass's desperate shield and a loud crack was heard as the iron balls, all 3 that Harry had made, slammed into the man's left shoulder one after the other.

Using his now free hand Harry summoned the Sword of Gryffindor and charged the older Lord. A cacophony of metal against metal rang out as Harry hammered away at the man. The shoulder that he had managed to hit was likely causing the man great pain, if Lord Greengrass's face was any indication, and the thin blade was barely brought up in time to block each of Harry's heavy blows. The magically reinforced blade of Greengrass didn't bend under the pressure but the force of the swings clearly aggravated the wounded shoulder. The intensity of the blows prevented much to be done in return but Lord Greengrass wasn't a pushover. Finally he brought his wand to bear and screamed, "Bombarda!"

The spell exploded between them and sent Harry through the air, same as Lord Greengrass. Harry rolled once he made contact with the ground and immediately ran at the still downed man. Greengrass was much slower to get up, the fall having further aggravated his likely broken shoulder, but he was able to stand in time to meet Harry's second charge of the duel. Again, Harry hammered away at his opponent. Destroy Lord Greengrass, that had been his goal, and causing the man to have to use his injured shoulder again and again was part of the plan.

Again, Greengrass screamed "Bombarda!" only this time Harry spun away, as if dancing, before the Sword of Gryffindor again rained down in a hail of blows. Harry made no show about it, he was aiming for Greengrass's sword, and drawing the man to block with his injured shoulder. Every attempt the man made to hit Harry with a spell was shielded, or dodged in a dazzling display of dexterity.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Finally the man could take no more and he aimed at the floor this time with a "Bombarda Maxima!" which served to blast apart the flagstones and pepper Harry with sharp rocks, halting his attack. Greengrass took the moment to distance himself from Harry and start shooting a flurry of spells at him.

Harry's face was a mask of concentration as he dodged, parried, and countered the spells the man threw at him.

***Break***

Tracey was amazed. She had seen a professional duel once with her father, and this display was every bit as impressive. She had known that Lord Greengrass was a talented duelist, a fact her father had shared with her, and he showed it in his clean and precise spell combos and wide repertoire of spells. And while she had known that Harry displayed a level of magical skill well above his age, along with physical prowess, she had worried that he had bitten off much more than he could chew. But when Harry summoned the Sword of Gryffindor at the start of the duel she had been enthralled.

Harry's spells weren't as varied, but they were well aimed and powerful, and Harry made good use of Transfiguration to block the spells. His movements were unorthodox but fluid, and the way he used his sword and impressive Shield Charm along with his quick feet was a dazzling display. She almost cried out when the Bonebreaker headed towards Harry but he looked like he had planned for that moment, sending iron balls rocketing back to Lord Greengrass from out of nowhere. The loud crack had caused Daphne to clutch Tracey's hand much tighter, and both watched Harry dominate Lord Greengrass in a furious attack with the Sword.

***Break***

Both girls gasped when Harry was blasted away by the Bombarda, and Daphne worried that the duel had swung back into her father's favor. But surprisingly, as if nothing had happened, Harry rolled to his feet and continued the onslaught. Her discerning eye was able to tell that Harry was aiming to aggravate her father's injury with his blows. Again the Bombarda spell was cast and both girls held their breath, not releasing it even when Harry amazed everyone by dodging the spell at such a close range and continuing to hammer away at her father's defenses.

She was conflicted. She had seen the bristle of anger cross Harry's face when her father called her a whore and again when he insinuated that Daphne and Harry had slept together of all things. It wasn't the first time that her father had used such a tone with her, or even that particular insult though it was usually accompanied by a slap. But that anger Harry had shown had paled in comparison to when Lord Greengrass had called Harry Boy. But she still wasn't sure that she wanted Harry to win. Wardship would be a huge change of life for her and Astoria required regular special care, care that her father was intimately familiar with. On the other hand though, to have someone stand up to her father both scared and inspired her. Lord Greengrass was this imposing controlling figure in her life that she never expected to have a chance from getting out from under. Even marriage wasn't a great option for her as she knew that it would be with someone her father chose for her versus a marriage built out of love and would probably be a bargaining chip lessening her self-worth even further.

Both of their breaths were released in a scream as the shards of flagstone shot across the Alley and Harry was subject to a ferocious counter-offensive.

***Break***

Lord Jackson Greengrass was viewing the world in a hazy film. His shoulder burned in agony after the iron balls had cracked something and that agony had only gotten worse attempting to block Harry's heavy swings of that Sword. The boy was skilled, even his hatred did not prevent Lord Greengrass from acknowledging that. And the power, ferocity, and dexterity of the boy's attacks and defenses were incredible.

But giving up was not on his mind. Not now, not ever the man thought to himself. He knew, at some deep level, that his treatment of Daphne was less than ideal. But the girl looked exactly like his late wife. And the only thing the man saw when he looked at her was his wife in the arms of another man. A Muggleborn man. No amount of pain could compare to the pain of losing his wife to an affair with a man of Muggle heritage. It had happened shortly after Daphne had turned 1, and it nearly cost them their marriage. They had become cold to one another forced to maintain their marriage to avoid the scandal that would surely come if they had split up. Things seemed to be going better when his wife got pregnant with Astoria, and then the birth had killed his wife. At least that was what he told himself. He refused to acknowledge that Astoria had that man's eyes, and what that had made him do to his wife. The death broke the man, and forged him into the cold and dark man that he was today.

With a roar he put the pain of his shoulder out of his mind and focused on teaching this little whelp, this Boy pretending to be a Lord, a lesson of finality. Lord Jackson Greengrass was going to murder for the second time in his life today, and the victim was going to be Harry Potter.

***Break***

Lord Greengrass roared in defiance, and Harry was hard pressed to prevent the reinvigorated onslaught he now faced from causing fatal harm. His notifications had been going crazy throughout the duel but Harry ignored it. Every spell the man was throwing now was chosen and aimed with purpose to kill. It was clear then, to Harry, that he would have to match the ferocity with a rock hard defense or kill the man. He had stared Death in the face on many occasions, not even including his memories from his alternative life, and this time was the same as any other.

The Sword of Gryffindor was a blur through the air, parrying and deflecting spells that splashed against the shield and ground in a shower of light and debris. Harry was lucky that the grip was well-suited to his hand or he would surely have lost the blade at some point. Harry knew that he couldn't use certain spells, like Sectumsempra, to bring the duel to a close. The crowd wasn't looking anywhere else and winning the duel with a Dark spell would cause a field day day for the press. Harry needed a plan and he needed it soon.

Thinking hard, Harry spotted the shards of flagstone scattered around him and sighed inwardly. Only his gluttonous attitude for punishment would make him think of grinding a skill in the middle of a duel to the death, but he didn't have the spell knowledge to catch his opponent off guard. He had the imagination though, if not the skill quite yet. His wand waved left and right, turning the shards of flagstone into a matchstick, a needle, anything tiny and unseen to observers but not unfelt by his Transfiguration Skill.

_Transfiguration has increased! It is now 34!_

_Transfiguration has increased! It is now 35!_

_Transfiguration has increased! It is now 36!_

_Transfiguration has increased! It is now 37!_

_Transfiguration has increased! It is now 38!_

_Transfiguration has increased! It is now 39!_

_Transfiguration has increased! It is now 40!_

Like a countdown to his hail mary, his skill slowly creeped up. The spells the man was throwing at him were finally slowing in their frequency, but Harry was still on a full defensive with the man wise to not let Harry have a moment to close the gap between them and risk another assault from Harry. Finally, blessedly, his skill reached the point he needed.

_Transfiguration has increased! It is now 45!_

_Pause!_

_Jumping has increased! It is now 18!_

Not for the first time Harry thanked his lucky stars for the ability to Pause at any point. He had taken an unexpected jump to the side to allow him a moment to breathe and to make sure he wasn't setting himself up to die when he Unpaused. It was awkward as always to Pause in midair.

He viewed his last 11 Skill points with a longing eye. 120 points, gone in a moment, due to a heated decision. Knowing he couldn't undo it without Loading his game and losing weeks of progress, Harry spent 10 of the points to bring Transfiguration to 50. Not for the first time Harry cursed the fact that the only Save Point he knew of was at the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets and idly wondered for the moment if he could somehow make one at his home. Dashing that thought from his mind as this was neither the time nor the place Harry selected the only Boon available that made his Animate Transformations more lifelike and responsive to direction.

Time for the hail mary.

_Unpause!_

The world rocked into motion and Harry rolled as he hit the ground, his sword flashed through the air while he readied himself for his plan. His wand was pulled into his Hotbar and bricks of iron were deposited behind him, unseen by the man who was lost in anger. Harry focused his entire defensive efforts into his swordplay and watched out of the corner of his eye as his Magicka slowly recharged. He knew he would need all of it if he was going to pull this off. Harry just hoped that it would be enough.

Once the bar was full his wand was brought to bear and Harry jumped to the side again, revealing the store of materials he had been hiding. His wand waved and flashed in a dizzying array and the pile seemed to melt together for a moment before extending into the shape of a Basilisk. Indeed in every detail it looked like a miniature version of Salazar's beast.

"Bind" Harry hissed into the air, and the iron beast shot forward like a missile. Lord Greengrass saw what was coming and shot spells at the creature in an attempt to slow it. It was for naught though, as Harry had reinforced the beast as well as he could bringing forth his knowledge of iron to provide it with a stable composition. His Magicka was dangerously low though and would take too long to recharge if his plan failed.

His luck held though and the Basilisk smashed into Lord Greengrass's leg with a sickening crunch before riding up his body and constricting his arms and legs in an iron grip. The beast's head planted itself just in front of Jackson's face and bared the metal fangs modeled so carefully after the original's.

Harry took a deep breath and walked forward. He hissed the word "tighter" and Lord Greengrass let out a cry of pain as his leg and shoulder felt the full weight of the snake's movement and he fell back. Once he was above the man, Harry commanded the snake's head out of the way before punching the man as hard as he could. The sharp almost wet sound of the punch and the resultant grunt as Lord Greengrass's head bounced off the flagstones below echoed across the Alley as the crowd was silent in anticipation.

_Fisticuffs Skill increased! It is now 2!_

"Do you yield?" Harry asked the man. The young lord ignored the stab of pain from his knuckles in favor of the immense satisfaction he got from punching him one good time.

Lord Greengrass stared defiantly up at the boy, wishing there was something he could do but his wand was trapped beneath the iron monstrosity. Jackson looked around for anything, anything at all that could help him, but just like Harry wanted the man had nothing. He was beaten.

"I yield" The man said in a whisper. Lord Abbot was listening though.

***Break***

Amazing! Extraordinary! Astounding! These words were all Lord Abbott could think of as the duel came to a close. Despite every attempt to best the boy, no, the man that faced Lord Greengrass in a duel Harry Potter had emerged the victor! A 13 year old man had just defeated one of the most esteemed members of Wizarding Britain, and in a spectacular manner. The Transfiguration the young Lord had pulled off at the end had been so unexpected but so effective. The press were going to have a field day today!

"Lord Potter is the victor! Lord Greengrass had yielded!" Lord Abbot's voice rang out over the Alley and the crowd just lost it. Hats were thrown and whistles and cheers echoed off the buildings. The Aurors waited for Harry to call off his iron snake, which slithered to its creator and amazingly slipped into the boy's pocket, wowing the crowd once more. Once it was gone the shield was lowered.

***Break***

As soon as the shield dropped Tracey dashed forward and wrapped Harry in a tight hug and buried her face into his robes. There were tears in her eyes and her whole body shook from the roller coaster of emotions she had gone through during the duel but the scent that was becoming so familiar to her that she could smell in his robes let her know that it was over. Harry whispered calming words into her hair and he held her tightly.

Daphne was more subdued in her approach. Her entire world had been flipped and she was at a loss on what to do or how to act. She looked at her father, who was still on the ground after the sound defeat. The man looked lost for a moment longer before, like any proud man, he found the energy and will to stand up and waved away the offered help from the Aurors. Then she looked at Harry who was whispering something into Tracey's hair as he held his girlfriend close. The crowd threatened to spill over in their excitement and Daphne felt like she was viewing the whole scene from a thousand meters away.

"Come here, Daphne" Daphne's head whipped around at the sound of her father's voice. She stopped.

"Come here!" Lord Greengrass raised his voice at her, a crack of emotion bleeding through his usually measured tone. She took a half step towards him, before she felt a hand grab hers. Tracey's teary eyes pulled her attention away from her father, and Daphne felt herself being pulled into a hug from her friend. Harry watched silently, but his eyes met Daphne's. He smiled reassuringly and stepped closer before stopping at her panicked expression as again Lord Greengrass's voice called out.

"COME HERE, NOW!" The tone was broken and carried emotion that had been lacking in his voice as long as Daphne had known him. Harsh breaths were drawn in as fast as Daphne could get them and her mind was a cacophony of nothing.

"Lord Potter" John Abbott's voice carried over to Harry from where the man was approaching. They exchanged brief words that Daphne was unable to hear over the sound of blood rushing in her ears, before Harry nodded.

"Lord Greengrass, I will be heading to your house now with my Elf to collect Astoria and everything necessary for both her and Daphne to stay at my home as our terms dictate. Lord Abbott will be attending. The Law of Rightful Challenge has been met. Failure to comply will result in expulsion from the Wizengamot and forfeiture of your lands and holdings in accordance with the Law of Forfeiture" Harry's tone was harsh and lacked any sympathy for the broken man he was addressing. An Auror guard stepped forward at Lord Abbott's signal.

***Break***

Astoria Greengrass coughed gently into her hand and turned the page in her book. Her father and sister were away at Diagon getting supplies for the new year at Hogwarts. She was excited that she would finally be able to attend but as today was her treatment day she was bed bound for the duration of their visit to the Alley. That was especially a bummer as supposedly Tracey would be bringing along Harry Potter who Astoria would have loved a chance to meet.

Instead she was here, reading through a Potions book that she had snuck from her sister's room. The recipes and theory were interesting to her and helped Astoria ignore the boredom that she felt being stuck in bed. She would much rather be outside playing with Balto, her Husky, who had been named after a character in a book Astoria had borrowed from her sister's friend Tracey. Dolly, the Greengrass family Elf, popped into her room and checked the readings from the runic display. Astoria watched attentively and… yes! Dolly started to unhook the elaborate setup of the equipment used for her treatment.

Astoria coughed again in disgust as the tube was pulled from her nose. It was used to deposit a concoction of potions into her stomach that were designed to fortify her body to help combat the blood malediction she suffered from. The malediction was the result of a curse placed onto the females of her line. It had skipped Daphne but Astoria had shown the signs at an early age. Suddenly Dolly's head shot up with a look of confusion and she popped away without a word.

"Where are the Aurors?" A voice that Astoria vaguely recognized came from below.

"The wards must have bounced them!" Daphne said.

"No! You will not have them! No! Bombarda Maxima!" Astoria's father's voice called out.

"I'll deal with him, go get your sister! Dobby! Protego Maxima!" Another, this time unknown, voice rang through the house along with a boom.

Puzzled and frightened, Astoria slowly stood up, and headed for her door. She didn't make it however as the door slammed open and startled her. Looking like she had been through hell stood Daphne, whose eyes met her sister's and softened for just a moment.

"Daph? Wh-" Astoria started to ask.

"No time. Tori, grab your things" And Daphne dashed past her to Astoria's bookcase with an odd bag in her hand. Books were thrown into the bag with abandon. Thuds and booms echoed below them.

"What? What is going on? Daph? What is going on!" Astoria tried to get her sister's attention before Tracey almost fell into the room as well "Tracey?"

Tracey smiled at her for just a moment and she pushed a bag like the one that Daphne had into Astoria's hand. Then Tracey dashed over to Daphne and started helping her with the books.

"Lord Greengrass! Stop now and I will argue on your behalf!" Again the unknown voice echoed through the house. A boom, louder this time, shook the house.

"What in Merlin's name is going on?!" Astoria yelled at them both, finally getting their attention. Tracey nodded to Daphne and continued gathering the last of the books. Daphne stepped over to her sister.

"Tori, we're leaving. Don't ask why, but I need you to gather your things. Harry is going to get your equipment, but we need to get your things together. Please, Tori." Daphne's tone left no room for arguments and her words no room for questions. Astoria nodded and with her sister they headed to her closet. The clothes were tossed into the trunk inside the closet and any extras into the bags. Tracey joined them after a moment. It took less than a minute to have her stuff together.

Daphne led the trio into the hall where they crossed into Daphne's room. The thuds and booms were louder in the hall. Her trunk was already open and half packed so they made quick work of gathering Daphne's things. They headed back into the hall.

"Okay, we just need to make it to the entryway. There's a Portkey point there we can use" Daphne said to Tracey who nodded.

"Wait, what about Balto?" Astoria asked worriedly. Whatever was happening she did not want to leave her dog behind. Daphne cursed.

"I'll get Balto, you bring Tracey to the Portkey point, okay? Next to the vase under mom's portrait, remember?" Daphne waited for Astoria to nod and she planted a soft kiss on her sister's forehead "Nowhere else, okay? Tracey?"

Tracey nodded and took Astoria's hand. They headed down the stairs and split up. Astoria leading Tracey to the entryway. Daphne slowly creeped towards the rear of the house. She needed to get to the back door, but that meant passing whatever mayhem was happening in the house hall where they had arrived. The noise had not stopped ever since Harry had sent them from the room.

Her head poked around the corner to see what was happening.

***Break***

Harry dodged another spell and returned fire with a curse. It was like their duel all over again only this time more chaotic. Lord Abbott was on the ground near the ruined fireplace they had arrived through. The older man's head was bleeding from a large brick but Harry could tell that, thankfully, he was still breathing. Cursing the house wards for bouncing the Auror escort Harry sent an end table into the path of a spell. Damning the laws that prevented the Aurors from confiscating the distraught man's wand Harry summoned a throw pillow into the path of the Cutter that Lord Greengrass sent his way. It didn't fully take the spell and Harry hissed as a shallow cut appeared on his chest.

Harry knew that he needed to stall the man long enough to allow Daphne and Tracey time to gather up Astoria and use the Portkey he had thrown to Tracey to get them all to safety. Jumping over the battling Elves on the floor, Harry rolled near the fireplace and banished the poker at Jackson. The metal instrument stabbed into the man's side and brought a brief respite to their battle. Harry took a moment to check on Dobby's battle with Dolly. The two Elves were rolling on the ground punching, kicking, biting, whatever they could to hurt the other. It looked like Dobby had the edge though and Harry turned his attention back to Lord Greengrass where the man had successfully extracted the iron poker. Clearly. It whistled through the air and only finely tuned instincts regarding hard metal objects coming at him gave Harry the reflexes to move his head out of the way. He saw the poker stab into the wall behind him and vibrate ominously. That would have been a kill shot.

Bricks rose up and turned into birds that flew at Lord Greengrass and into the path of another Bombarda. A quick Protego stopped the shrapnel from the destroyed bird from harming him. The birds were shot down with a few spells and the duel continued in earnest. Harry didn't feel comfortable bringing Kijani into this mess so any plan to use his Boomslang for an edge was out of the question.

***Break***

Daphne's eyes were wide at the mayhem before her. The house hall, the nicest room in their house, was in shambles. The fireplace was a wreck and Lord Abbott laid on the floor below it. Harry was battling ferociously but was bleeding from a wound on his chest. Her father was also bleeding with a bloody wound on his side. Lord Greengrass was limping from his wound at the end of the duel but did not look like he would be giving up again any time soon.

Dobby was rolling on the floor with Dolly, her House Elf, and Daphne bit back a cry. Dolly had been a loyal companion to both Greengrass daughters over the years. It was this that prompted Daphne to act. She stepped into the room.

"Dolly! Stop!" She ordered and watched in amazement as Dolly froze. Dobby stopped as well, and both Elves stood up. Dolly looked at her Master's daughter.

"Dolly!" Jackson Greengrass's voice called out to his Elf who turned to her Master. "Kill Harry Potter!"

Dobby reared up at the thought of someone harming his Master and clicked his fingers before Jackson could finish his order. Dolly zipped through the air and smacked into the wall with a deafening boom. The female Elf fell to the floor but stood up shakily. She raised her hand, clearly ready to follow the order. Suddenly pops of Apparition and the clear crisp voice of Amelia Bones rang through the house and stopped everyone inside.

"For failure to comply with the Law of Rightful Challenge" Harry dashed over to Daphne, grabbing her hand and leading her and Dobby from the room. Dolly clicked her fingers and the iron poker missed Harry's head for the second time that night. Lord Greengrass's attention was fully on the words echoing outside "And failure to meet the terms of that duel, Lord Jackson Greengrass you are hereby subject to Expulsion from the Wizengamot and forfeit your lands and holdings. In accordance with the Law of Forfeiture your house will be destroyed and you will be apprehended. Step outside or risk forceful entry. This is your only warning"

"What are you doing down here? Where is Tracey?" Harry asked Daphne. Daphne's attention came back to him.

"She used your Portkey with Astoria. I need to get Balto" Daphne's mind was reeling. Her house would be destroyed?

"Who or what is Balto?" Harry asked urgently. When Daphne didn't respond he grabbed her shoulders which got her attention again.

"Astoria's dog, it's in the rear yard" Daphne stiffened when Dolly came around the corner and Harry let go of Daphne to face the Elf. They both watched the Elf carefully.

"Dolly is a Free Elf" the Elf said solemnly. House Elves were considered part of the holdings of a House and with Amelia's words the Elf was released from House Greengrass. Harry saw the opportunity though.

"Dolly, if you help me now I will swear you into service with House Potter. We are here to take Daphne and Astoria as Wards of House Potter in accordance with the Law of Rightful Challenge. Will you help us?" Harry silently urged the House Elf to accept.

The House Elf looked at him with tearfilled eyes. "You would take Dolly into your home? Even after I tried to kill you?"

"Yes, yes. It's almost a requirement of Elves to try and kill me before I bring them into my service" Harry nudged Dobby with his foot and Dobby looked sheepish for a moment.

"We are coming in!" Amelia's voice rang through the house.

"Yes or no, Dolly" Harry urged the Elf.

"Yes" The Elf didn't need to think about it any longer. The idea of being a Free Elf frightened her and the chance to continue servicing Astoria and Daphne, even if by proxy through House Potter was a better deal than she was going to get otherwise.

"Good. Perfect. Dobby, get Lord Abbott and take him to the house. Dolly, get Balto and follow Dobby. Daphne, do we need anything else?" Harry asked the still shell-shocked girl next to her who was looking around the home in tears as the idea of losing her family home settled in.

Harry turned to Daphne again, and shook her slightly "Daphne, please. Do we need anything else?"

"Ast... Astoria's equipment. It's upstairs in her room" Harry nodded to Dolly who nodded back and popped away. Dobby popped away as well, appearing in the house hall for a split second before popping away with Lord Abbott.

"Okay. We got that, now we need to go. Where is the Portkey point?" Harry asked softly. Lord Greengrass's cry of surprise rang out in the room just around the corner. Luckily the man was hobbled but it still was not enough time for Harry.

Daphne looked at him with a heartbroken face, her mask long forgotten, and didn't reply immediately. "Daphne. Astoria is safe with Tracey. Her equipment and dog will be with her in just a moment. But she will be all alone if we don't get out of here. Where is the Portkey point?"

This time Daphne was able to at least raise a hand and point behind Harry. He pulled her along with him by the hand and they headed to the entryway. Again Daphne pointed though this time unseeingly through teary eyes and shaking with sobs. Harry headed over to the indicated part of the entryway, a stylized section of flooring in front of a large portrait. In a moment of casual observation Harry noted the woman in the photo. It was a non-magical portrait of a beautiful woman that looked almost exactly like Daphne, just older. Daphne was full on bawling into Harry's shoulder as the reality of the changes her life had taken that day set in and she finally let the emotions sweep through her. She didn't see Harry wordlessly shrink the portrait and slip it into his pocket. She didn't hear the door smash open as Aurors poured into the home. She didn't hear her father's cry of anguish and defiance as he rounded the corner to see Harry and Daphne leaving. The only thing she felt besides sadness was the hook behind the navel pull of the Portkey.

***Break***

Tracey held Astoria carefully as the young girl shook against her shoulder. Tracey had explained a little of what happened and Astoria had understandably cried at the news. They waited in silence, wondering what was going on at the house they had left. The minutes ticked by on the suddenly very loud clock in the sitting room that Tracey had led Astoria to upon their arrival. Tears tickled Tracey's eyes at the thought of how the day had changed so suddenly. She held it together for Astoria's sake though and because she wanted to save her tears until she got news of Harry and Daphne.

Multiple pops rang out through the house and Tracey jumped slightly. Simultaneous pops of arrival sounded in the sitting room and Dobby led Dolly and Balto to Tracey. Balto nuzzled at Astoria's curled up form, able to sense the sadness from his human, but the girl didn't notice.

"Is Harry alright?" Tracey asked Dobby. Dolly headed over to Astoria and pulled herself up on the couch next to her where she leaned into the girl's back.

"Dobby does not know. Master Harry ordered Dobby to return home and has not called him back" Dobby looked lost for a brief second and then headed into the kitchen where the clang of pots and pans echoed for a moment.

The loud clock echoed beneath the soft cries of the girl in Tracey's arm until suddenly a new cry joined the house. One that Tracey recognized as Daphne's though Tracey had never heard her friend sound so sad. Astoria's firm grip prevented her from going to investigate and Tracey was stuck where she was.

***Break***

_Quest Completed! Free the Greengrass Girls from their Father! Reward: 2 Feat Points, +5 to Dueling, 2 Stat Points, 100,000 Galleons_

Harry arrived in a swirl but kept his footing. Daphne's cries had gotten a bit louder and she refused to move from his shoulder even under Harry's gentle prodding, only gripping his clothes tighter. Harry scooped an arm under Daphne's legs and lifted her up in a bridal carry. He headed to his sitting room where he could hear noises. There he saw Tracey in basically the same position with Astoria. Harry's eyes met Tracey's and he made a jerking motion with his head to indicate the stairs behind him. She nodded and with careful coaxing she was able to get Astoria to stand up and walk with her, but the girl did not remove her head from Tracey's shoulder. Harry turned around and headed upstairs with Tracey, Astoria, and Balto who didn't want to leave Astoria's side. Dobby appeared at the top of the stairs and led Harry to an unoccupied room and opened the door. The light through the window let them know that it was, somehow, still daylight. It felt like hours had passed in the tumultuous events of the day.

With careful motions Harry was able to get Daphne to release him and Tracey was doing the same to Astoria. Together they put the girls into the bed where they finally realized that they were reunited. Daphne brought Astoria close and the two girl's cries got a little softer. Balto waited at the foot of the bed until Harry patted the spread in quiet permission. The dog took the offer and hopped into the bed as well, crawling into position against Astoria's back and facing the door. No one would be touching his human without his say so. Dobby pulled the blinds closed and they all left the room and closed the door softly.

***Break***

Harry sat on the couch heavily. Tracey sat next to him quietly, both at a loss for how the day had gone so sour. Dobby brought in some tea that he had put together and they both nursed the cups, letting the warmth seep into surprisingly cold hands.

"What happened?" Tracey asked softly, still able to hear her friend's cries upstairs. Every sob tore into Tracey's heart and she felt exhausted.

Harry sighed deeply. There was still blood on his Dueling robes and bruises from undodged spells. "The Aurors came to invoke the Law of Forfeiture. Daphne had interrupted our duel and we escaped to the Portkey point"

Tracey nodded at the simple but accurate description and sipped her tea again, at a loss of what to say. The whole day had revealed another side to Harry and it was a lot to process. The accusations that Lord Greengrass had thrown around the Apothecary echoed in her mind.

"Is it true?" Tracey asked suddenly in a single breath.

"Is what true?" Harry asked, looking at Tracey who wouldn't meet his eyes.

"What Lord Greengrass said" She asked softly. She didn't believe it but Harry's reaction had been intense and started this whole train wreck of a day. She had to hear him say it.

But Harry didn't respond. Instead he took a knee in front of Tracey in order to look into her eyes that were focused on the swirling leaves at the bottom of her teacup.

"No. Absolutely not" Harry said sincerely, meeting her eyes when they finally looked up in order to convey the sincerity of his words.

Tracey released her breath and nodded. Tears danced in her eyes and she asked the next questions that weighed heavily on her mind "Then why did it start? Why did it have to go the way it did?"

Harry grimaced and took his seat again. His shoulders drooped under the weight of the thoughts that swirled in his own mind.

"Lord Greengrass said some things. Things that triggered something within me. That coupled with my intense dislike of the man from the moment I first met him and the accusations he threw at me, and Daphne as well, made him inexcusable in my eyes" Harry tried to keep it short and sweet but Tracey didn't get it.

"But a duel? To the death? She's my best friend Harry but calling someone a whore doesn't potentially forfeit a life. And now a man, no matter how vile of a man, has had his whole life ruined and family torn apart" Tracey's voice cracked a bit.

"Are you seriously trying to defend him?" pure disbelief rang in Harry's voice.

"I'm not trying to defend him! I'm trying to come to terms with the fact that my boyfriend tore apart a family, uprooted my best friend's life, a life that she was perfectly capable of navigating on her own before you came along, and now will be LIVING with that best friend! All while displaying skills no 2nd year should have and knowledge that you had no business knowing! Who told you about Astoria? Why were you so offended when Lord Greengrass called her a whore? Yes, it was vile, it's always vile being around that man which is a fact that I WARNED you about but it was hardly the first time that he had called her that! Why were you so able to challenge that man to a duel, TO THE DEATH, over that? You've known Daphne for what, 4 weeks?" Tracey finally let it all out and breathed heavily from her standing position that she had risen to.

Harry stood up as well, fuming. It had been a blunder to bring up Astoria. His alternative life's memories had made him aware of the younger sister's existence but it had not come up during any conversations with either Tracey or Daphne so far in this life. But he couldn't very well tell Tracey that. He also couldn't have left Astoria or Daphne to suffer under her father any longer or ask for anything less than their safety, which, while he probably could have asked for that as his terms he had no way of enforcing. The Quest notification had prompted his actions even further but again, Harry could not mention that either. His hands were tied, unless he wanted to lie. And he didn't need his alternative life's memories to tell him that any relationship held together by a lie was doomed for failure.

"You like her," Tracey's accusatory tone cut through the silence.

"What?" Harry asked in disbelief, the question having knocked him from his turmoil.

"Oh Merlin, you do, you like Daphne" Tracey stomped away for a moment in outrage before whirling back around to face him, "So, what, this was all some ploy? You saw a chance to save the damsel in distress and bring her under your care? Bring her into your home?"

"What are you talking about?" Harry was utterly confused by all of this, and couldn't wrap his head around a single thought. It was all blowing up in his face.

"You're ridiculous! You can't even admit it! You know what? I'm leaving" Tracey stormed past Harry, shaking off his arm that tried to catch her and ripped the pot of Floo powder off the mantle. She grabbed a handful and stepped into the fireplace. When she turned to face him her eyes were full of tears, but her voice was clear as she threw the powder down and green flames rose up.

"Davis Manor"

*Fin*

A/N: Well that went… great. Right, guys? Absolutely splendid. Nothing went wrong, at all!

Right?

'Til Next Time!


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Once more, into the fray! I hope you all enjoyed the roller coaster that was Chapter 12. It was a hell of a ride for me, writing and rewriting various scenes and trying to capture the thoughts of my characters. But man, I really hope I did it justice. We got to explore a darker reality of the Gamer life. Letting Quests and past memories control Harry's life and how Harry must deal with the fact that pursuing the wrong Quests in the wrong way can absolutely open a Big. Giant. Steamy. Can of shit.

Review answers below. I'll try to keep them a bit shorter as there are more than usual which is a fantastic feeling!

Frankieu: You're in luck! That's the entirety of this chapter. Thank you for the review!

7: Really glad you liked the fight! It wasn't written in the same style as the one in Diagon or the Chamber and I worried about that a bit. Thank you for the review!

SorayukiChinatsu: The fallout will definitely be felt for people other than Harry, but this chapter only focuses on Harry's struggles with it. I'm not sure if Fleur will be a potential match for Harry but I will take it under advisement! Thank you for the review!

Adrian King1: Tracey saw what made sense to her, and drew her own conclusions to Harry's action. Daphne makes an appearance in this chapter, but only for a moment. This one is short, mostly focusing on Harry. Thank you for the review!

Beccasullivanwrites1: Even Merlin would struggle with hormonal teenagers. Thank you for the review!

Mzkbogle3544: Ginny will be a bit interesting when she fully steps into the story. Harry hasn't forgotten about his life-debt with the girl. Thank you for the review!

TheGreatBubbaJ: As always your reviews are awesome to read. Harry does some deep thinking in this chapter and I think you'll enjoy reading this one. Thank you for your constant support!

Slocuautla: Lord Greengrass definitely set himself up for failure. The press makes their thoughts known, and the blowback for Harry is featured heavily in this chapter. He will certainly be a busy little Hero once he gets through this! Thank you for the review!

Phineas Garcia-Shapiro Flynn: You, dear reader, are sharp. I love hiding tidbits in my stories that come into play later, and you picked that one up quickly. You'll love this chapter, I hope! Thank you for the review!

Time313: Wow! Thank you so much for the reviews! Okay yours will need to be a little longer. No, resting does not autosave and there's a reason for that included below. Levelling does not heal in my story, unfortunately, cause Fate always likes pulling the rug out from under Harry. And no Harry does not have Magicka potions. He almost made them but was rudely interrupted by a feisty spider. Since then our Hero has not thought to go back and finish his Gathering in the Forest. He's kinda been all over the place and that catches up to him in this Chapter. Good catch though!

Kairan1979: Thank you for the review! We get to see ickle Ronniekins do a little growing up in the chapters since your review so I hope you like how I portrayed him in his brief appearances. Thank you for the review!

And away we go!

Chapter 13: Fallout Part 1

Harry stared blankly at the photo in the special edition of the Daily Prophet. He was ensconced in his Study having finally gone there after staring at the fireplace for a long time in the wake of Tracey's departure. Dobby had dutifully delivered the paper as was the Elf's norm when it arrived. The Daily Prophet had wasted no time in rushing out a special edition headline detailing the duel that Harry had in Diagon in explicit detail. The photo was what kept drawing his attention. It showed the moment that Tracey had hugged her best friend in support, normally a sweet moment, but from the angle it also showed Harry smiling at Daphne and taking a step towards Daphne and not Tracey. Rita Skeeter had outdone herself taking the situation and grossly misinterpreting it.

The Iron Mage Lays Claim to the Greengrass Daughters!

The Iron Mage. That's what they were calling him, for some ungodly reason, after his stunts with the iron basilisk Transfiguration and the iron balls. The article detailed Harry's power and skill, but implied that his reason for doing it was to claim the Greengrass daughters as his own personal mistresses. They were 13 and 11 for Merlin's sake! It also implied a sordid affair between Daphne and Harry behind Tracey's back, with Harry's relationship with Tracey an excuse to get close to Daphne. Almost any hope he had of explaining things to Tracey were wiped out with the racy article. At some point in the last hour both girls upstairs had fallen asleep as Harry had been notified by Dobby. Harry's face was a blank mask of stone. Just 3 hours ago he had been begrudgingly walking with Tracey through Diagon helping the girls shop.

Harry had numbly brought Dolly into his service as promised, and sent Dobby off to the Ministry with the necessary paperwork, his Lord's Ring that he sent with Dobby ensuring there would be no trouble. Dolly fussed over the girls upstairs and meandered around unsure of what she should be doing as Harry had yet to give her any orders or instructions. What a day. Just that morning he had reached an amazing accomplishment and now he had nothing to show for it. He had spent his Skill Points, his Stat Points, lost his girlfriend, and now had to care for two girls that he barely knew and who were basically the same age as him.

It had all felt so fine in the moment but Harry realized after the fact that almost every action since he threw that glove at Lord Greengrass had been damage control. It was only in hindsight that he was able to see it. His hand had hovered over the Load Game feature a few times in the hours since Tracey left but that would send him back in time to the moment _before_ he had started his final run and finished the Quest in the Chamber. Weeks, hundreds if not thousands of interactions and exchanges, would be completely undone and Harry would almost need to start over from scratch. And for what? A 2 month relationship with a girl that he couldn't share the reasons for his actions with? And how would he even be able to put himself through all of those actions again? The level of detail and planning needed was simply incomprehensible. And each redo, each action that he forced himself through again would feel fake and empty. Would Harry be able to recapture the magic of the night in Spain? Would he be able to go through his Birthday Party again with the same energy? No. And it suddenly made sense to Harry why the Game only had Save Game locations at Instances.

No, Harry was stuck with his actions and it hurt. He had felt something for Tracey. Had it been love? Probably not. But it could have led there. But even if Tracey came back and apologized for the accusations the damage had been done on both sides. And were her accusations true? Did he like Daphne? He certainly had risked life and limb for her, including the entirety of his House. But that had been confidence that he would triumph over Lord Greengrass. Hubris more like. Hubris from the ease of being able to dump points into a Skill he had no true need of at this stage of his life. His Game. Merlin, it felt like an empty existence when he thought of it like that. No, he couldn't honestly say that he either liked or disliked Daphne and thinking about it too much just hurt.

"Master Harry, there is an Albus Dumbledore at the front door" Dolly called quietly through the doorway of his Study. The Elf felt like she might possibly overstep her bounds by popping into the Study.

***Break***

Albus Dumbledore observed the roaring Gryphon fountain idly. It was a wonderful piece of art with the water catching the sunlight in sparkling beauty. Past it he viewed the Wards barely visible to his practiced eyes in the distance. Albus had honestly been surprised when the wards admitted him as their strength was very intimidating for such a young building, but also appreciated that it made his visit today much easier.

Harry Potter had been an object of his thoughts since the beginning of Summer. The boy had fled the Dursleys to get emancipated, changed his electives to include almost all subjects, made waves in Diagon and the Ministry Press Conference looking and acting like a completely different person, had snuck onto Hogwarts grounds and even into the Castle itself on multiple occasions, briefly resided in Hogsmeade under little to no protection, disappeared from sight for almost a week, bought land and built a home, was spotted in Spain of all places, launched a party that bridged House boundaries in a way that had not been seen for some time, then was spotted in Northern Scotland _Blacksmithing_, and all over Muggle London looking like a picture of fitness. These were all startling developments in their own right but paled, literally _paled_, to the Duel that had been fought today.

Albus was honestly at a loss as to what had changed. The man had wanted to leave the boy alone in the wake of the events in the Chamber of Secrets which had surely been a traumatizing experience. But now he wondered as to the wisdom of that decision. Was it the Horcrux? Had he missed something when Harry returned from the Chamber? With the variety and almost… recklessness of Harry's actions since the end of term it was hard to tell what it was. But one thing was for sure, Albus needed to see for himself just the kind of boy he was allowing back into Hogwarts. He would check for warning signs that he had ignored with Tom and take necessary action if needed.

The door opened behind Albus and brought him out of his musings.

***Break***

Harry had somehow pulled himself up out of his Study and went to the door. He had no idea how he was going to navigate a talk with the Headmaster after the crazy day. It was an interaction that Harry had been avoiding for the entire Summer and here it was staring him in the face when he was at his most vulnerable. A brief thought was spared to the idea of sending the Headmaster away but Harry knew that it would probably just make it worse and he couldn't run from it forever.

Seeing the man standing on the other side of the door was a strange experience with Dumbledore portraying the same wizened grandfather look that Harry so remembered that was so familiar yet so… disorienting to see when the freshest memories Harry had of the man were between seeing the man look so old in the Hospital Wing after the Chamber and so serene both in his fall from the Astronomy Tower and resting in his coffin at the funeral. Harry's eyes teared up against his will and instead of saying anything to the man he simply left the door open and headed to the seats on his back porch. He needed fresh air or he was going to suffocate.

***Break***

"Harry my b-" Dumbledore had started his customary greeting when Harry had shockingly teared up in front of the Headmaster and walked away.

Dumbledore was shocked seeing the boy for himself after the crazy descriptions of the boy's Summer. The shocking red hair so like Lily's, subtle changes to the boy's face but still unmistakable James, and even looking defeated, indeed, looking like the world was too heavy for the boy he still walked with a confidence and assuredness that had been missing from the boy he had left in the Hospital Wing some 2 months ago.

The old man followed Harry at the unspoken permission to enter the home, and cast his gaze across the house as they walked. The entryway was immaculate yet homey with a warm rug under their feet. The walls were sparse with no magical portraits in sight but there were still some artwork on the walls to provide life to the room. The stairs were a rustic hardwood construction with whole planks clearly hewn from a tree to form each step with the bark still on and facing the lip of each step and a fine varnish to give it a shine. Then they passed through a hallway that Dumbledore looked up and down. 7 doors, leading various places, were in the hall but no other details could be gleaned except, yes, there was a faint hint of Potions just under the smell of the home.

The sitting room was quite cozy in Dumbledore's opinion and well decorated. The fireplace had the same slate stone construction as the exterior and Dumbledore idly noted the sword above the mantle. Not the Sword of Gryffindor, surely the blade above the mantle looked absolutely plain in comparison to the ancient sword. The two people were not in the room for long with Harry stepping out into the slowly cooling air of the late August summer afternoon.

***Break***

Harry took deep breaths when he stepped outside. The air had a hint of smoke to it being carried with the light breeze from his forge down the way. The aftermath of his party was long gone but Harry looked around and remembered that day, such a good day, where everything had been simpler and fun. Dumbledore stepped out with him and looked over the impressive yard. The Headmaster noted the lake, the lean-to building that smelled of smoke, the shed to his left whose function he was not sure of at the moment. Off to his right he could see 3 rings of the Pitch that occupied that portion of the yard. It was a splendid home, that must have cost quite a bit, but Dumbledore could see the reason for buying it after just his short walk. The house was a home, magical both in it's modern charm and rustic beauty. Not overdone yet clearly selected with care and thought to let you have the dual feel of being in the home of a Lord but also knowing that you could take your shoes off and relax. Not an easy feat to achieve.

Declining to air his thoughts, Dumbledore observed the boy in front of him that had stopped at the top of the stairway that led to the lake and who seemed to be taking deep calming breaths. Dumbledore noted the varied very Muggle wicker furniture that decorated the back porch and took his time selecting one that was the right height and orientation. Cushioning Charms subtly worked into the chair made the seat a delight and Dumbledore actually found himself with an urge to get comfortable. The place was very disarming to those who were on guard.

After a minute of letting the summer breeze roll over them both it was clear that Harry was ready to talk as his shoulders firmed up and he stepped over to select a chair of his own. Finally seated Harry was able to look at Professor Dumbledore full on.

"Hello, Professor" Harry started off simply but there was a hint of sadness still in his tone. No tears in his eyes anymore but Albus still deduced that Harry would prefer to be anywhere but here at the moment.

"Harry my boy, you have a wonderful home. This chair is simply astounding" Albus used his grandfatherly charms to try and bring the tension out of the boy's shoulders a bit before they got down to brass tacks.

Harry smiled wanly, "Thank you Professor, Dobby selected it. But I'm much too tired to dance around this. I'll sit here quietly and you can say your piece. I'm sure you have a lot you want to talk about"

Shock colored Dumbledore's face for a moment. The words and tone were not cold, or even dismissive, but wholly accepting. It was the poorly veiled undercurrent of challenge to Albus's typical beat around the bush style that shocked him. Most people didn't hurry him along in any form or fashion and none of them were less than thrice Harry's age. It made Albus reassess the redhead in front of him yet again. Clearing his throat, Albus tried to figure out where he wanted to begin.

The beginning, like always, felt like a good start and Albus got right down to it. "You made a lot of people today very scared, Harry. You displayed shocking skill today that I'm sure is not part of the Hogwarts curriculum. Now there are two girls without a home, without a father. A lot has changed for you this summer and I did not want to intrude upon your privacy even though I must still advise against this whole emancipation business, there is still time to undo that and I could help you, but to take the Greengrass girls into your home and ruin their father? Was there no other way, Harry?"

Harry reeled. There it was. Not delivered in typical Dumbledore fashion thankfully but it was there. A hint of 'Please return to the Dursleys' with a sprinkle of 'You scare me' along a dash of 'Let me help you' all mixed together into blame, worry, and thinly disguised distrust. Carefully iced with grandfatherly wisdom and platitudes. And for him to use the words, the same words, that Tracey had used against him. If not for his reassurances that his Gamer privileges protected his mind he would have assumed there was some Legilimency at some point. Clearly the Headmaster didn't get it. Harry was not in the mood for games, present life excluded, and some life returned to his eyes as his desire to lash out at someone surfaced.

"Let's get some things very clear, Professor. I am no Voldemort. I have no desire for domination, or bloodshed, or violence of any sort. Are you going to sit there and vilify me just like this rag?" Harry tossed the Prophet onto the glass-top table between them only just realizing it had still been in his hand.

"Are you going to condemn me for finally showing talents you were unaware of? For doing what I thought was right? Lord Greengrass was _abusing_ Daphne." At this Harry rose to his feet and started to pace, the arguments that he wished that he had been able to say to Tracey finally coming to the forefront of his mind as clear as the sky above.

"And it could have been anyone. It could have been a complete stranger. But it was not. And when I saw what was happening I acted the best I could to protect someone. You may feign ignorance, Professor, but I know that you know about the Dursleys. I have been on the other side of that fence and the grass is not green. It is dark and lonely and not something I would wish on anyone! So think that I am evil for fighting against an injustice that everyone else seemed so PERFECTLY CAPABLE of ignoring all that you want! I could have killed that man! I know that! You know that! And the law would have been on my side! But I did not! I COULD NOT! I didn't force his hand to fight the Law of Rightful Challenge! I did not make him destroy his family! I put down an offer to stop being a BLOODY SHITTY FATHER and took measures to put his daughters into the safest environment I could think of in the HOPE, the naive HOPE, that he would see the error of his ways and I could release them from my Wardship! I hate myself enough for how this all turned out, and I tried my best not to make it so, but the alternative was to leave 2 girls under the harsh care of a man who didn't give a DAMN about his own flesh and blood! And I would hate myself all the more if I had just STOOD BY AND DONE NOTHING!" Harry's chest heaved as he finished his outburst, nostrils flaring and fight or flight instinct on full blast.

And as if Harry had been talking about the weather, Dumbledore sat there. The serene picture the Headmaster created in the face of Harry's outburst snuffed the anger out like a candle. Harry felt the energy from his rant leave him and collapsed heavily into his seat once more, tears shimmering again as the gravity of it all was laid bare only this time in his own words. Tea and scones appeared on the table between them signifying the return of Dobby from the Ministry and Harry clutched the cup like a lifeline to avoid drowning.

With Harry's downcast eyes he was unable to see the turmoil on Dumbledore's face. The rant had been furious, raging, in its intensity but Dumbledore did not once feel like Harry was trying to hide a darkness he had feared was in the boy. Instead Dumbledore saw a lot of himself in the young Lord across from him. In his century of life Dumbledore had come to understand injustice more than most. Had seen across his years as Professor and Headmaster countless young faces scared to go home for the holidays and summers and treating the Castle they all loved so much as the home they wished they had. Often Dumbledore found himself deeply regretting being unable to do anything more than provide a safe haven for them at Hogwarts, his mind flashing to a young and talented Potions Master currently in his employ. And Albus had battled against his fair share of injustices in his time, when he was young and full of talent much like Harry was. He vividly remembered an argument gone wrong that had resulted in the death of his dear sister Ariana, an unintentional and unfathomable consequence.

Dumbledore finally sighed and realized that no, he could not in good conscience fault Harry for his actions. He understood power, the temptation to use it to further your own cause and means, and knew from a few collected memories that Harry had power, immense power, for his age. That power needed guidance however, guidance and restraint lest it do more harm than good. There was a fine line between righteous judgement and villainous tyranny and it all came down to what your limits were. He had seen it in the memories of the duel that he was able to procure with skillful use of Legilimency. Harry had not been out to kill Lord Greengrass, indeed even in the face of Lord Greengrass's clear attempts to kill Harry the boy had not responded in kind. But Harry needed to understand the consequences of rushed decisions and using his power to interfere with other's lives. It had been a hard lesson even for Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.

"I understand, Harry, I… I did not intend to imply that you were wrong in your actions. I have known for a short while about Lord Greengrass and his… less than favorable treatment of his daughter. It is an all too common occurrence in old families that look to groom their children into their version of a perfect person. I would never defend such treatment" Dumbledore paused a moment to make sure that Harry was listening.

"But I have known Jackson Greengrass for a long time. I can still remember when the stoic yet witty young boy put on an old Hat to be sorted into Slytherin. I also worked with the man for many years in the Wizengamot after his graduation and that man was not the same one that lost to you today. He's different. Lost. About 12 years ago now he changed abruptly. A steadfast advocate for Muggle rights and ringleader of a large conglomerate that actually did a lot of good in their time. What I share with you will not be repeated by me past this day." Dumbledore had the Elder Wand in his hand without Harry even realizing where it had come from and the heavy weight of magic fell over them both. Harry focused on the slight glimmer in the air and to Dumbledore's amazement the boy's eyes glowed for just a moment. Harry had Mage Sight! Such a rare and wonderful talent!

_Privacy Ward, Muffliato, Anti-Animagus Ward, Sound-Cancelling Ward, Eavesdropping Deterrent Ward Unlocked!_

_Warding Skill Unlocked! It is now 1!_

Harry ignored the Notifications and focused on the Headmaster again. Albus knew that the surfacing of the talent went a fair way to explaining some of the changes he was noticing in Harry but he got back on track and his face hardened at the thought of what he was about to reveal to Harry. Normally Albus would have waited before telling Harry about the harsh reality that was life. Harry was immediately drawn into the gifted storytelling of the Headmaster.

"12 years ago Jackson Greengrass was in love. He had just had a daughter, just saw the successful returns on some bold ventures, and had just won a string of close votes in the Wizengamot earning him praise and adoration from the Muggleborns Britain-wide. But his wife had 2 loves. Allisandra Greengrass was in love with Jackson but she was also in love with a Muggle. A normal man. One who did not have a fancy job or a high society upbringing. Just a normal, run-of-the-mill Muggle man. And Tom caught wind of it. So Tom orchestrated the very change that turned Jackson Greengrass into Lord Greengrass, the cold uncaring man that you saw firsthand today. It was a clever trick and not the first time that Tom had used it. He set up Allisandra, and orchestrated Jackson to catch her and the Muggle man in the act of adultery. It tore Jackson's heart apart. But the love was still there and to Tom's immense displeasure the two remained together. Indeed against all odds they even became closer after the act. It was this renewed closeness that brought into being Astoria Greengrass. Things were looking up once again for the couple but Tom did not like the idea of love winning the day. He poisoned the birth. Tricked Lord Greengrass into seeing features from the Muggle man in his newly born daughter Astoria. Subtle, and so very like Tom. Lord Greengrass was furious. And in that blind fury he killed Allisandra who was weakened from her recent exertions. And the act signified 2 deaths. Allisandra and Jackson Greengrass both died that dark night. It was only a few years later when Astoria had shown signs of carrying the malediction that was only present in those of true Greengrass lineage that Jackson realized he had been wrong. But the damage was done, and from that string of events the flawed broken man known as Lord Greengrass was to be forever tormented by his actions" Dumbledore let his last words echo off into the early evening, the sun setting on one of the longest days in Harry's young life.

They both sat for a few moments, letting the facts and revelations run their course before Albus spoke once more, "I tell you this, not to garner pity for the man. He reaped what he had sown even if the seeds were not entirely his own. I tell you this so that you can _understand_ the man. Every action, no matter how good or how vile, no matter how very opposed to your viewpoints has a _reason_. The path you must walk, that everyone must walk, will be full of trials just like the one you faced today and so many decisions. Decisions that are shaped by those reasons one way or another. Each path is unique in the obstacles it presents. You _will_ stumble. You _will_ fall. And you _will_ find times where you lose that path and the way is not so clear. _Power_, in all its forms and inherent in each and every one of us, often forces these paths to collide and what we do for, with, or against Power shapes the path that we walk. And you will have to answer the questions that you must ask yourself every time you aim _your_ Power at another. Is it worth it? Is there another way? Is this action, whatever the reason, who I am? Can I live with what I am about to do? And you must choose… Choice, that is the great equalizer. You will never have all of the answers. You will never have all of the facts. The only thing you can do is decide for yourself what you are going to do and live with the choices _you_ make"

At that Albus stood up and walked to the door, pausing for just a moment with his back to Harry, Albus sighed from thoughts clearly still heavy on his mind, "I came here today to let you know that Lord Greengrass's path is now certain, and he has been found guilty of High Crime and sentenced to a life in Azkaban. That is the Choice you made today with your Power."

Albus walked through the door. Behind him Harry stared at nothing and everything, his mind absorbing the knowledge that had been shared with him today. After a short while Harry moved to his study to continue his self-reflection.

***Break***

_Warding Skill has increased! It is now 2!_

_Warding Skill has increased! It is now 3!_

Harry sighed as he put his wand into his holster. He had just practiced with the Wards he learned from observing Albus's casting and left strict instructions with Dobby and Dolly not to bother him unless Daphne or Astoria woke up. At the thought of the two girls Harry hesitated and reached into his pocket to pull out the shrunken portrait. The woman, who Harry now knew to be Allisandra, was set into a box on his desk and the lid snapped shut.

The chair behind the desk was eyed for a moment but Harry decided that sitting still was not worth the attempt. Instead he paced. Professor Dumbledore had hit him with some hard truths and nuggets of wisdom. What he knew of the man from his alternative life's memories shed truth onto the words and their sincerity. Albus had not condemned Harry for his actions, no, he had armed Harry with the tools to condemn himself. And he paced. The actions and reactions since the day that he came back as the Gamer were at the forefront of his mind. His methods with dealing with the Dursleys. His time in Diagon, in Hogsmeade. His days with Hagrid. His time in the Chamber. His interactions with Lord and Lady Davis. With… Tracey. With Daphne, Hermione, Ron, the Weasleys, all of the students. And he paced.

It was through this self-reflection that Harry realized that, somehow without even realizing it, he had changed. At the start of this Summer he had been Harry James Potter, a freshly revived Hero excited for a second chance at life. Then he had become Lord Harry Potter the Gamer. A bratty rich kid with a near God complex who wandered around willy-nilly doing whatever struck his fancy at the time, consequences be damned. And it was the Gamer aspect that had truly been the catalyst for everything. And he paced. Every interaction, every piece of knowledge, every iota of experience in and out of the Game had shaped him in extraordinary ways. And he paced. He had taken lives in the Chamber, and for what? A Quest? Every action he took could be traced back to one of his Skills, and why? Because Harry had rushed into his decisions like a stupid Gryffindor. It was right there on his Character Sheet. Every point he spent or earned, every Feat that he chose, hell even the Perks that he had been so excited about had _changed_ him. And he paced. Puberty=Truck? It had made him a hormonal mess without him even realizing it. He had thought he would notice, and be able to adjust accordingly, but just because he could see it on his Sheet didn't mean that he could truly _see_ it in his life. And he paced. Etiquette points? They had made him more formal, more snobby. Crafty Perk, sent him to Northern Scotland and made him tangle with Acromantulas. Linguist, he now spoke Spanish and French having picked up the French _just because he could._ And he paced. Flirting! What an idiotic thing to put points into when he was getting absolutely ravaged by his Puberty=Truck Perk. This Character Sheet was indicative of his current level and skills but it was also indicative of his _entire being_. And he paced.

Albus had been right. Power, and what we do for, with, or against Power shapes the path that we walk. Unlike most people whose Power only extended outward, Harry had a Power that extended inward. And he paced. When Dumbledore had talked about asking yourself the hard questions when aiming your Power at another, Harry had realized that he had to ask himself those questions when he made a choice on his Character Sheet because he was aiming his Power at himself. Is it worth it? Is there another way? Is this action, whatever the reason, who I am? Can I live with what I am about to do? And he paced. What would happen to him if he maxed out Dark Arts? Would it change him? Would it control his choices? And he paced. He remembered the thought crossing his mind during the duel of using Sectumsempra to end it and choosing not to not because he was above that but because of what _others might think of him._ And he paced. That wasn't Harry Potter. That wasn't him. Or was it? Harry had no idea. And he paced. He only knew that he was himself. And then Albus's last words came to him.

"Choice, that is the great equalizer. You will never have all of the answers. You will never have all of the facts. The only thing you can do is decide for yourself what you are going to do and live with the choices _you_ make"

And he stopped. Like a wave it came. It had been worth it. Harry didn't need to feel guilt at taking lives in the Chamber, that hadn't been because of a Quest but because the alternative had been to let those men kill him. There had been no other way. He had grieved at that reality and that was the mark of a good man even if he had been unable to see it. Harry didn't need to beat himself up for thinking of using Sectumsempra during the duel, because he had chosen not to use it and instead had chosen a different path with his Power. The action he took had been a reflection of who he was, Gamer and all. He didn't need to beat himself up for challenging Lord Greengrass to a duel. The man had made his choices, the same as Harry had. The difference was that Harry had made choices he could live with.

And he laughed. Sweet, sweet relief flooded his being. Harry laughed in relief until he couldn't anymore and he collapsed into the chair behind his desk. As different as he was now Harry Potter was still Harry Potter. Harry Potter was the Gamer. The Gamer was Harry Potter. The only thing he could do was decide for himself what he was going to do and live with the choices _he_ made.

Outside Harry could see that it was now early morning, he had paced the whole night.

"Master Harry, Daphne has awakened." Dobby stated from where he had appeared in the room.

"Thank you Dobby. Could you have Dolly prepare some breakfast?" Harry said to the Elf with a smile, and Dobby rejoiced at the female Elf finally being given a task. Maybe then she would stop moving around Dobby's bedspreads! They were perfect, despite what she thought was proper! Harry got up to change and get a quick couple laps around the house to clear his head.

***Break***

Songbirds sang their early morning revelries and Daphne stirred in protest. She was warm and she could feel Astoria next to her still dozing contentedly. The two girls often shared a bed growing up, keeping each other company and providing the love that was otherwise absent in their life, so it was not an unusual occurrence. But something was off. Her hand reached blindly around, and she brushed against Balto who had made himself comfortable across the legs of both girls. That was weird. Her father never let Balto upstairs. Then it hit her and the events of the previous day came crashing down.

Daphne shot up to a sitting position in the bed, dislodging Balto who moved to the floor, and looked around. She recognized the room as one belonging to Harry Potter, the same one that she had changed in during his birthday party. The reality of yesterday's events started to set in once more and she felt tears tickle her eyes. Knowing that if she didn't get up she would risk another breakdown she quickly extracted herself from the thick comforter that covered the bed and headed for the bathroom.

She was an absolute wreck. Her make-up, usually so flawless, was smudged and had run profusely during her crying yesterday. Desperately Daphne turned on the faucet and washed her face, scrubbing hard. When she looked up once more her cheeks were a rosy tint from the intense scrubbing and her make-up was gone but already she looked better. Eyeing the shower and then glancing down at her clothes, the same that Daphne had started the day with yesterday, she soon had the bathroom steaming up with hot water. She stripped off the clothes that were stiff from dust, sweat, and what looked to be blood. Daphne shook violently at the thought and was barely able to convince herself to step into the hot stream of water in the shower. The water burned her skin yet the familiar act of bathing was hardly a balm to her frenzied mind, after a few minutes Daphne sat down in the shower and hugged her knees still shaking. Tears hid themself in the water from the shower and Daphne let the emotions take her.

***Break***

Astoria groaned as her mind finally released her from the dream she had been having. It had been a weird dream. She vaguely remembered it involving Harry Potter but she hadn't dreamed about that boy since she was 7 and her sister had read her the Harry Potter story books. Deciding that she had no control over what she dreamed about she stretched out and eased the tension in her arms and legs. A life of being bed bound regularly had made her knowledgeable of the best positions to take to get the best stretches and she rolled around for a few moments. Finally she opened her eyes and was instantly confused. That wasn't her ceiling. She sat up and looked around. This wasn't her room. Where was she? Then she remembered. The urgent packing, the loud noises, the Portkey.

"Daphne?" Astoria called out. Nothing.

"Daphne?!" She called again. Nothing.

Frantically she started climbing out of bed and felt… fur? Astoria looked down, saw Balto, and in an instant she was on the floor clutching the dog. Balto licked at every part of her that he could reach. His human was okay. She was crying, but also laughing as the dog tongue tickled her cheeks. His human was okay.

With her dog her sense of security had elevated quite a bit. That enabled her to stand up and look around. The room wasn't small but it was definitely plain. There was a yellow and brown comforter on the bed, a bookcase that had nothing on it, a desk was pushed beneath the window that had its blinds drawn. Astoria walked to the window and pulled open the blinds, squinting when she realized the sunny way that it was an East facing window. Then she gasped. The grounds were gorgeous! Below her she could see hedges surrounding a gravel circle and at the center of that circle stood a fountain with a brilliant gryphon roaring water into the air. The early morning sun danced along the water. Outside the hedges were marble pillars that rose up almost as high as her window. She could make out a few songbirds tending to nests at the top of the pillars and singing their joy at the start of the new day.

"Oh wow" she said audibly.

"I'm glad you like it" came a voice from the doorway and Astoria screamed in surprise and whirled around at the unexpected intrusion.

In the doorway leaned a tall teenage boy. Auburn hair was messy in an organized way and brought attention to the boy's strong face and fierce vivid green eyes. His lips were full but not in a feminine way and his jawline was well defined. The boy's arms were crossed and he was in a sleeveless v-neck shirt that showed off a well developed chest and arms. His figure was lean but muscular in a dancer or martial artist kind of way. His pants were a simple pair of track pants well suited for running. His feet were bare.

Astoria took in all of this in a split second after her outburst. Then the bathroom door banged open and Daphne, hastily wrapped in a towel, rushed into the room with water still dripping from her hair.

"Astoria! Are you okay?" Daphne asked breathlessly. She had been drawn away from her sadness at the sound of her sister's scream and older sister instincts had spurred her into action.

"Daphne?" Astoria asked, shocked at seeing her sister like this. It was rare, if ever, that Astoria ever saw her sister in any way not carefully put together.

"Good, you're awake. Dolly made some breakfast. I'll be in the kitchen" Harry said from the doorway, drawing Daphne's attention. The older sister took in the athletic figure that Harry presented in the doorway for just a moment and she gasped.

"Harry! Get out!" Daphne screamed at Harry. She wasn't decent! Her cheeks flared red at the idea of being practically naked around Harry in his home. Sure she had been around him in her swimsuit but that had been a very modest one-piece. And this towel wasn't as large as the beach towel had been. Harry lightly pulled the door closed and tossed a lazy wave over his head as he walked away without a word.

Daphne growled at his casual manners and stomped over to the door that was still slowly closing. She slammed it.

***Break***

Harry groaned as the door slammed shut behind him. That had been unintentional! He hadn't imagined even in his oddest scenario a situation that would make Daphne leave the bathroom in anything less than a fully coordinated look. So when he had gone upstairs to check on them after his run and heard the shower through the cracked door he thought that he was safe to enter. She had clearly been embarrassed and Harry had been forced to be casual as a formal apology would have forced her to stand in front of him nearly naked even longer and only serve to increase her embarrassment. And what a first impression to have with Astoria!

"Stupid Harry" He grumbled to himself. What a great way to start the Greengrass daughter's new living situation.

*Fin*

A/N: Whew. I had to end on a lighter, funnier note. This one was hard to write. A lot went on for such a short chapter. I hope you all liked it! I've gotten a couple PMs about the current Character Sheet so that's included below since this was a short one. It includes all of the bonuses Harry got from his party along with everything that he's gotten since. The Notifications were getting a little cluttered so I wanted to have them kind of detailed off screen. Hope it didn't confuse anyone!

**Harry James Potter**

**Age: 13**

**Class and Level: Wizard (Sorcerer) 10**

**Health: 350**

**Magicka: 625**

**Stamina: 400**

**Stats**

**Strength- 13**

**Dexterity- 21**

**Constitution- 17**

**Perception- 3 (+10 with Glasses)**

**Intelligence- 21**

**Willpower- 11 (+5)**

**Magic- 21 (+15)**

**Charisma- 22**

**Luck- 31 (Locked)**

_Unspent Stat Points: 2_

**Perks:**

Fated Luck: +10 to Luck always, -40 to Luck in certain situations.

Magical Powerhouse: +10 to Magic, +5 to Willpower, +10 to Magicka Regeneration, +5 to Learning when it involves Spells. Magicka now grows at a 1.5 rate vs the standard .8 of most Wizards.

Flyer: +20 Broom Handling, +10 Creature Handling if creature has wings.

Parselmouth: +35 to Parseltongue.

Family Heritage: +5 to Broom Handling, +5 Transfiguration, +5 Charms, +5 Potions.

Puberty = Truck: Puberty is going to kick your ass and put hair in so many places. I won't go into details. Affects 3rd year Summer.

Linguist: +2 to Learning when it involves Languages.

Represent: +5% Reputation Gains, -5% Reputation Losses.

Smithing Apprentice: +5 to Blacksmithing

_Unspent Perk Points: 5_

**Disadvantages:**

Poor Eyesight: -8 to Perception without glasses or similar device. +10 with them on.

Chosen One: -20 to Luck in certain situations. +5 to Magic. Certain events are unavoidable. +25% Reputation Gains, +25% Reputation Losses.

**Feats**

**The Wand Chooses the Wizard but the Wizard Chooses the Spell: **+3 to Learning when it involves spells.

**Magical Aura: **+5 Damage Reduction to Spells. +10 to Social Skills against sensitive targets.

**Motion of the Potion: **Potions no longer require a 3 second Drinking Action.

**Crafty: **+5 Learning if it involves Crafting or Harvesting Skills.

**Mage-Sight:** This nifty Feat will allow you to see the folds of Magic if you focus hard enough. 5 seconds of focusing will Identify the observed object. +1 to Perception.

_Unspent Feat Points: 4_

**Magic Skills**

Transfiguration – 50

Boon: Size conversion ratio of Transfigured materials increased by 10%

Boon: Animate Transformations are more lifelike and respond to direction.

Animagus Transformation – 1

Herbology – 26

Boon: Flora and Fauna that are Magical will glow in the Player's eyes.

Charms – 55

Boon: Charms Spells cost 10% less Magicka to Cast

Boon: Charm Spells are 10% more potent

Potions – 35

Boon: Splash Radius of thrown Potions increased by 25%

Astrology – 19

Defensive Spells – 33

Boon: Maxima Variant now able to be applied to Defensive Spells.

Care of Magical Creatures – 19

Divination – 10

Ancient Runes – 15

Arithmancy – 18

Dark Arts – 21

Alchemy – 2

Wandless Magic - 6

Silent Casting - 8

Enchanting – 1

Warding - 3

**Physical Skills**

Quidditch – 11 Keeper, 7 Beater, 24 Chaser, 49 Seeker

Boon Seeker: You are able to track the Snitch more readily! Snitch will give an indicator when it is about to change direction.

Running – 29

Boon: Long-winded! You have a better lung capacity! Just don't drown, ya dunce! (+1 to Constitution Base Score)

Jumping – 18

Weightlifting – 16

Swimming – 50

Boon: Like a Fish to Water. Pressure affects you less, you are less likely to get Diver's sickness from extreme pressures. You also can move more freely in the water and on land! (+1 to Dexterity Base Score)

Boon: Long Winded! You have a better lung capacity! Just don't drown, ya dunce! (+1 to Constitution Base Score)

Acrobatics – 23

Climbing – 19

Sword – 55

Dual Wield: A Sword can be used in either/both hands with no penalty!

Heavy-Handed: The Swordsman life has gifted you with a heck of a swingin' arm! Strikes with a held object deal more damage! (+1 to Strength Base Score)

Archery - 31

Boon: Pin-Point. You are able to easily track your target, and have a greater chance of landing shots.

Cloth Armor – 50

Boon: Regular Clothes Shmegular Clothes. Any cloth is armor! +1 to armor per slot if equipped item is Cloth. Robes provide +2 per slot.

Boon: Flax at them. Cloth Armor provides an additional +1 to armor per slot if equipped item is Cloth. Robes provide an additional +2 per slot.

Leather Armor - 2

Equestrianism - 18

Dancing - 54

Boon: Quick learner. You are able to learn the steps of most dances after watching the dancing of those around you.

Boon: Light Feet. No need to be a clunky double left footed troll. If, and thats a big if, you are unfortunate enough to step on your partner's feet there is a good chance that they will not even notice. Not perfect, but a good feat for the Gamer that doesn't want to pay for foot surgery.

Fisticuffs - 2

**Social Skills**

Diplomacy – 27 (+5)

Boon: Heir to an Empire. As the youngest Lord in recent years people are eager for your attention. +5% Relationship Gains.

Intimidation – 30

Boon: Flux. You may now consciously flare your magic to those around you. Doubles effectiveness of Magic Aura Feat. Cost 2 Magicka per second. Stops Magicka Regeneration.

Performance – 13

Etiquette – 34

Boon: Now you're forked. Your skill in formal settings is improved! Delivers notification prompts in formal dining.

Flirting – 44

Boon: Lost in your eyes. Making direct eye contact will improve your chances of success when engaged in Flirting. -5 to DR rating of target.

Sense Intention – 31

Negotiation - 73

Boon: Wheelin' and Dealin'. You're able to negotiate down all but the scroogiest of people. Receive a 5% better deal when negotiating costs!

Boon: What's the absolute best you can do on that? More people are open to negotiations!

Chess – 17

Pranking – 24

**Stealth Skills**

Disguise – 3

Sleight of Hand – 8

Lying – 12

Escaping – 23

Stealth – 34

Boon. Toe-to-Heel. Your steps are now 50% quieter!

**Hybrid Skills**

Dueling – 75

Boon: Magical Shields are now 10% stronger

Boon: Dancer of Death. Harmonizes your Dancing Skill with your Dueling.

Boon: Hit 'Em Where it Hurts. Boosts your aim tremendously, and we don't use that word often.

Broom Handling – 55

Boon: You have a need for speed and your broom realizes it. +10 MPH to max speed regardless of model!

Boon: While on a Broomstick, gain +10 to Dodge!

Logistics - 23

**Mental Skills**

Parseltongue – 100

Boon: Snakes have a predisposition of +2000 Reputation when you reveal yourself as a Speaker

Boon: Spells with a 'Sss' sound may be cast in Parseltongue for +5 Difficulty Rating to overcome

Boon: The nuances of Parseltongue make other languages seem easy. +1 to Learning if it involves Languages.

Boon Mastery: May have a magical snake as a Familiar that does not count against your familiar slot.

English – 70

French – 21

Gobbledygook – 2

German – 8

Spanish - 61

History – 45

Science – 19

Mathematics – 36

**Harvesting and Crafting Skills**

Clipping – 31

Boon: Clipper Proficiency. Yield from plants increased 5%

Skinning – 25

Boon: Flesh-Peeler. Your skill with a knife is noticeable. Attacks with Blades and blade-like Spells are more likely to cause a bleeding effect.

Tanning – 25

Boon: Tanning Extraordinaire. Hide you prepare is produced at a higher quality.

Blacksmithing - 30 (+5)

Boon: Hammer! Your blows hit with an unexpected force. Results Vary. (+1 to Strength Base Score)

Cooking – 52

Boon: Live and Learn. You may recreate most meals that you have tasted or modify it as you see fit. +2 to level of meal benefits

Boon: Eye for Quality. You have a discerning eye when it comes to the freshness of ingredients. Less likely to find or use expired or stale ingredients.

Tailoring - 8

Leatherworking - 25

Boon: Scrappy. Leather Armor you Dismantle returns more of the materials.

Refining (Acromantula Silk) - 2

Trunk Making - 1

_Unspent Skill Points: 1_

_Class Specialization Sorcerer: +10% Exp Gain. +4 Learning. Unlocks Specializations Mage, and Archmage at further levels._


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Part 2! I wanted to clear one thing up before getting started. Harry's irrational mind, the one he has when he's in the heat of the moment is much sharper. He has shown time and time again that he is much more sure of himself when his adrenaline is pumping. This is why his angry rant contained a lot of the revelations that he was able to tie together later in the chapter. It took thinking about Dumbledore's words of wisdom for him to be able to make the connections for his rational mind. It's part of Harry growing up and was a big revelation for him. And he made a lot of progress on himself and realizing what his abilities as a Gamer truly means. I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter!

Review answers below.

Phineas Garcia-Shapiro Flynn: Your review was so fast! This is the first review reply in a while that I've started before I've finished the chapter! Glad I was able to do something unique and glad you liked it!

Chaosknight199: Thanks for the review! This chapter is Daphne and Astoria coming to terms with everything and some of Tracey's reactions.

Frankieu: Thank you! It's been a long ride. These past 13 chapters have been an arc about Harry coming to terms with his new life and it felt so satisfying to finally bring it all together.

7: Thanks for the review!

Reader of Harry Potter: No, thank you!

Firetemplar415: Tom is Voldemort, sorry, that's Dumbledore's usual way of referring to Lord Voldemort aka Tom Riddle. Also the Gamer aspect doesn't control his emotions, Harry does. That was the lesson he learned.

George Cristian810: I'm sorry to hear that! Hermione actually is a potential match for our hero, as Ron and Hermione's relationship this go around is purely platonic. An old iteration of chapter 6 was actually a date between Harry and Hermione and when I rewrote it I left the option open. And in Chapter 10 Harry does flirt with her for just a moment. The only person she is guaranteed NOT to be with is Ron. As far as Ron's best friend status, nothing says that he will be but I also can't promise he won't be.

Navn Ukjent: Great review! I'll clarify just a bit though. 'Young love' is fierce and fast. It comes as fast as it goes. And you are correct Tracey is only 13 but that is exactly why she reacted that way. They both are mature enough to know that they probably didn't love each other but they were definitely fond of one another and enjoyed their times together. Tracey is featured in this chapter so hopefully that helps clear things up a bit! Also a good catch on the Character Sheet. It has been edited and future chapters will have the correct terminology!

Homarid: Thank you! I've edited the chapter to eliminate the underline issue. I agree that Harry could easily turn into an overpowered god and future chapters addressed this. I hope you kept reading past chapter 3!

Adrian King1: Thank you for your continued support! I am not sure what you mean by long path, hoping you'll clarify a bit. The Greengrass sister's are featured almost exclusively in this chapter so I hope you'll like the way I spun it.

Beccasullivanwrites1: You and me both! Yet another butterfly effect for Harry as Dumbledore starts to entertain the idea of another way to bring Voldemort to his end. Thank you for the continued support!

MonaTheGreat: Thank you so much! I love hearing that people are bingeing my story. Look forward to more comments from you!

Time313: Choice is a big concept. That paragraph took me so long to write because I wanted to get it as perfect as I could. I was happy with the finished product though! Thank you for the reviews, seriously!

TheGreatBubbaJ: Dude, meaty definitely describe your reviews! I always enjoy reading them though, so you're not pissing in the wind as you put it. Harry is still up for a Time Turner you are correct, as always your knowledge of the lore is impressive. I dabbled with the idea of breaking from canon and giving Harry the Time Turner early instead of during the Entrance Ceremony like Hermione did but honestly the summer has dragged on long enough. I am not sure what I will do with Divination quite yet, but Harry kept the class due to it being a genuine Skill and being curious. He may do a walk-out with Hermione.

Kyo: Thanks for the review!

Basilisk Girl67834: Thank you! I'm trying to keep them coming out!

Kayleneproctor94: Thank you so much! A previous review brought up using the Game as a vehicle for the story over having it be the focus and that is truly what I'm going for. Seeing Notifications all the time would be boring to write and probably boring to read!

Kairan1979: I try to keep the tone light in between the sparks of action and the all too real talks that my characters have. Thank you for the review!

And Away we go!

Chapter 14: Fallout Part 2

"Stupid Harry" Daphne grumbled at the door, unknowingly echoing Harry's own words. Her blush had yet to recede from Harry's unexpected appearance.

Astoria snickered behind her, "He's cute."

Daphne shot her sister a stink eye and stomped off to the bathroom as she was starting to feel a little cold from her wet hair and body. Astoria snickered once more and settled onto the bed where Balto was quick to jump up and happily accept pets from the young girl, tail wagging at full speed at the first sign of normalcy.

Astoria was confused with everything that had changed for her so suddenly. She still didn't fully understand what was happening but she knew that worrying about it would do her no good. And how bad could it be if she had her sister and dog right there with her? She hummed along with the songbirds still singing outside and refused to let the changes give her a negative outlook.

***Break***

Daphne welcomed the warmth of the bathroom that was still a bit steamy from her shower. She held herself up with both hands on the counter of the vanity and took a few deep calming breaths with her eyes closed. Okay. Time to assess the situation. Her sister was safe and sound, Daphne could hear her humming through the door of the bathroom. That was good. She was in an unfamiliar home but she knew that Harry had extensive wards and despite him catching her in a towel, Daphne fought down the blush that reappeared at the thought and pressed on, despite that she knew rationally that she wasn't in immediate danger. That was good. She was clean and warm, and other than a pang of hunger as she had not eaten in almost 24 hours Daphne was in good health. That was good. Okay. Releasing one final deep breath and opening her eyes Daphne almost screamed in fright and clutched her heart at the sight of the Elf that had appeared so quietly. Silent apparition was a talent of Dolly's and that along with the Elf's abnormally large eyes even by House Elf standards made her sudden appearances sometimes startling. Daphne was normally used to it but the sudden appearance of the Elf had surprised her.

"The Lady Daphne is okay?" Dolly asked looking up at the girl worriedly.

"Yes Dolly." And the truth of the confirmation reassured Daphne a little further and let her heart rate go down a bit from being surprised.

"Wonderful! I have some clothes here for the Lady. Master Harry has started on a fresh breakfast since mine had gotten cold and asked me to tell you to take your time getting ready" Dolly smiled up at Daphne sincerely, happy to be able to keep watch over her after almost losing the girls yesterday.

"Thank you Dolly, you may go. Astoria will need some clothes as well." Daphne adopted her usual mannerisms when dealing with the Elf. Old habits die hard, they say.

"Oh yes, Master Harry had me pull some clothes for her as well. I'll show her to the bathroom in the room next door so that she can get ready as well" Dolly popped away silently at that and Daphne had to bite back a giggle when a cry of surprise sounded through the door.

"Dolly!" Astoria's frustrated voice carried into the bathroom.

***Break***

Harry busied himself in the kitchen. The normal act of cooking, something he hadn't done in a while, actually relaxed him. In his time since he became the Gamer he had only cooked on rare occasions in favor of purchased food or letting Dobby cook. Dolly had technically cooked a breakfast spread but it was to Harry's extreme surprise that the Elf honestly wasn't that good of a cook. He had thought that cooking was a skill that all Elves were good at but the eggs had been gummy and tasteless and the toast slightly burnt. So Harry had decided to cook breakfast himself, indulging for once. Dobby had been offended for but a moment before Harry had set him to the task of quartering potatoes on the condition that he let Harry do all the cooking.

And so it was to the scene of Harry dancing a delicate dance around Dobby, flipping pans with practiced ease and managing multiple burners, that Daphne and Astoria walked in. The smell of roasting potatoes, fresh biscuits, and sizzling bacon easily drew Astoria to a seat on a stool at the bar on the other side of the sink. The girl happily contented herself watching the cute boy move through the kitchen tasting things and throwing seasonings around as if it was the most normal thing in the world. Daphne however was confused at the sight. Here was Lord Potter. The same Lord Potter that had faced her father in a duel on even footing and who had carried himself on multiple occasions with a confidence and air well beyond his years. Yes that Lord Potter. Only this one had an apron on and was currently slicing mangoes which he was happily snacking on as he threw them into a bowl while he waved away the help of his House Elf. It was so normal and yet not normal that Daphne honestly didn't know how to process.

"Do you do all your own cooking?" Astoria asked as she watched the redhead whisk the mangos he had just crushed into some sort of sauce, enjoying the sight of Harry's arms flexing with the motion in the sleeveless shirt he was still in.

"Hmm? Oh, err, no. Not normally. Dobby, put that down" Harry ordered his Elf who had started to take a spatula over to the eggs. Dobby appeared put out by the order and resumed his spot in the corner of the kitchen. It wasn't even a single moment before the Elf tried again with the bacon before Harry ominously waved his whisk at Dobby. Astoria giggled at the exchange. Daphne shook her head at the strangeness of the situation and decided that she could hardly do anything about it. She joined her sister at the bar, adjusting her skirt in an excuse to keep herself busy looking anywhere but at Harry, his earlier intrusion returning to her mind for a moment.

"So what are you making?" Astoria asked, accepting the tea that Dobby put in front of her and Daphne with a small thank you. Dobby just looked happy at getting something past Harry.

"Let's see. Errr. A little of everything since I didn't know what you 2 would like. Roasted potatoes and potato hash, scrambled eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausages, biscuits, mango drizzle, I'm forgetting something" Harry scratched his head before he saw it. Dobby, the sneaky Elf, had stolen his parfait glasses. "And parfaits. Dobby. Give me those."

Harry set the glasses on the counter and squeezed a lemon he had sliced in one smooth motion over his bowl of sliced strawberries, blueberries and raspberries . He stepped over to the icebox for the yogurt for just a moment, just a single moment when he saw Dobby moving to the oven with a mitt that he had pulled from somewhere.

"Damn it. Dobby! Go paint the shed! By hand!" Harry issued the first order he could think of and Astoria giggled again. He had meant to have the Elf paint the shed about a week ago, Harry just hoped that it kept the Elf busy long enough for him to finish up. Harry shook his head at the spot the Elf had just vacated. With the Elf out of the way Harry was finally able to move freely and breakfast moved along at a faster pace.

"That sounds yummy. Why don't you use magic?" Astoria asked. She had read about Harry Potter's emancipation and heard about Harry's casual displays of magic from Daphne after the birthday party.

"Do you always ask so many questions?" Harry grunted from his place on the floor reaching into a cabinet. He was getting a cooking tray out to toast the granola just a bit for the parfaits but Dobby had the damn things so far in the back.

"Only when I'm interested in the answers" Astoria responded cheekily.

***Break***

Daphne could not believe it, Astoria was _flirting_ with Harry. And ogling him! Daphne had chosen to watch Astoria over watching Harry and indeed had seen the girl's eyes wander over Harry more than once! How improper! The younger sibling had spent more days stuck inside than Daphne had wanted for her and as a result had read just about every book she could get her hands on but Astoria's favorites were romance novels she had pilfered from their Mom's private collection.

She swatted Astoria's arm and gave her a warning look, only for Astoria to stick her tongue out in response! They argued silently in a practiced exchange of facial expressions.

"Are you two alright?" Harry asked from where he was layering the parfaits carefully. Daphne's head whipped around at the question, but she cringed when she pulled something in her neck. She had definitely slept hard which surprised her quite a lot. Normally Daphne was a very light sleeper but she figured that the exhaustion from yesterday coupled with sleeping almost 16 hours straight had a lot to do with it.

In a flash, Harry was around the bar and suddenly very close to her. He looked worried and was craning his own neck to try and see if she was hurt.

"Are you hurt?" Concern colored his tone, but he did not move his hands to try and check the area. He respected Daphne too much to try and touch her so familiarly.

"No. My neck hurts but that's probably from sleeping so long. And to answer your question yes we are fine" Daphne responded and to her relief Harry backed off and got back into the kitchen. Astoria wiggled her eyebrows at Daphne making the older girl resume their silent battle behind Harry's back since he was busy putting the final touches on breakfast.

***Break***

The breakfast was delicious, to Astoria's total surprise and delight. Most of her young life had been under Dolly's care with only occasional breaks from the bland food when she was allowed out with Daphne or at the galas where the food was mostly hors d'oeuvres though she had only been once when she was younger. So the fluffy pancakes, the crunchy sweet parfaits, the buttery soft biscuits all of it was tried at least once by the young girl who ate until she could not.

Daphne was more reserved in her approach but also could not deny the culinary skill that Harry had literally brought to the table. Everything had flavor. She had been to fine dining restaurants, had eaten at the Davis's many times, but no meal had that … home cooked feel that the breakfast brought to her. She stuck to the lighter items like the parfait and the surprising potato hash, and only indulged on the pancakes with the mango drizzle that were amazing. A fact she kept to herself.

And Harry ate… a lot. Daphne's and Astoria's eyes had boggled slightly at his large plate. But he had cooked a lot of his own favorites and if he was being modest he was a good cook. Plus the food would go to waste otherwise and Harry wondered for a moment if he had cooked too much. Knowing you couldn't uncook it he polished off the menu items that you couldn't reheat very well or save for later so had a plate piled high with pancakes, eggs, bacon, and sausages.

They sat at a small table just behind the bar, a small breakfast nook that Daphne had overlooked on her previous visits but one whose proximity to the windows at the rear of the home afforded a lovely view of the lake and grounds behind the house. Balto had snuck into the room at some point being announced by the clicking noise his feet made on the floor. The dog had settled beneath Astoria's seat and kept it cool when she snuck him some bacon and sausages from the platter. Daphne chose to ignore it, commenting on the improper behaviour would just draw attention to it. But Harry smiled at the younger girl when he saw the thievery from his spot at the table letting Astoria know he was fine with it.

The two girls were ravenous after their long day the day before, and used that hunger as an excuse not to talk. The only sound in the room was the scrape of cutlery on plates and a thump thump of Balto's tail as it smacked the leg of the table, the dog happily munching on the bacon and sausages that kept appearing in front of him.

It was new. It was strange. And to be honest it was a bit awkward and every human at the table had differing thoughts about how different this morning was to the previous one. The only theme that they all had in common was that it was actually pretty nice even if it would take some getting used to.

***Break***

The last bite was taken. The last fork set down. The last drink swallowed. Harry could put it off no longer. He inhaled deeply but quietly through his nose. Astoria was making kissing faces at Balto but apparently Daphne had had the same idea as Harry.

"I'm sorry,"Harry said at the same time that Daphne said "What happened?"

Harry cast his eyes down for a moment. That was right. All of his revelations, every bit of news from the day before after they had gotten to the Potter Manor had been missed by the two girls. Astoria probably hadn't been told much beyond what Tracey had had time to tell the girl before the Greengrass daughters were put to bed. Luckily Astoria seemed to handling the sudden change of scenery much more positively than Daphne's dark eyes indicated.

He sighed, "How much do you want to know?"

"All of it," Daphne looked at him with a strong gaze. She needed to know.

Harry nodded, "And Astoria?" Astoria stopped playing with Balto and looked up both at her name and at the sudden shift that the room's atmosphere had taken.

"She deserves to know as well" Daphne said fiercely. It was her sister's life too and the young girl needed to know what their life was going to be like now.

Harry nodded once more and stood up silently. He waved his hand idly and the plates and other dishes floated to the sink. He turned away and walked to the sitting room through the arch that separated the nook/kitchen from the sitting room. Daphne got up as well and Astoria hustled to follow.

Oddly, Harry motioned for them to sit on the couch but walked past the sitting room. Daphne almost followed Harry until he spoke.

"I need to get some things. I'll be right back" And waited for Daphne to sit down before he walked into the hall.

Astoria had lost some of her good mood and occupied herself petting Balto who had almost joined the girls on the couch before Daphne had snapped her fingers. This wasn't the time for antics.

After less than a minute Harry came in carrying a large stone basin that Daphne recognized as a pensieve. Also in his hand was a newspaper. He set the pensieve on an end table that he floated into the middle of the room. With another sigh he sat heavily on his armchair that he chose as his seat.

"I guess we should start at the beginning just to get it all out" Harry said with finality and leaned back for a moment before rolling forward and with elbows on his knees furiously scrabbling at his hair in frustration. What was he supposed to say? The moment of weakness lasted for only a few heartbeats before he took a deep breath and looked up at the two girls who were quiet but attentive.

"Yesterday, I threw the glove at your father, Lord Greengrass, in accordance with the Law of Rightful Challenge" At Astoria's confused look Harry explained, "The Law of Rightful Challenge is a very old law from when Britain was much younger. It was a way for Heads of House to settle disputes of honor and insult in the arena of battle. Traditionally these contests were fought with Seconds, champions of the House they were beholden to. Lord Greengrass and I had no Seconds and so fought the battle against one another" Harry began. His voice got a little stronger as he spoke. At his words that Harry and her father had fought, Astoria inhaled sharply but Harry pressed on.

"At the start of the contest, both Lords are allowed to name their cause for the duel as well as terms for their disputes. These terms are absolute and must be carried out at the conclusion of the duel or risk the Law of Forfeiture. I'll get to that in a moment. The terms must be agreed upon by both parties as equal in both risk and reward. Lord Greengrass called for the dissolution of House Potter as well as a fine of 100,000 Galleons" Astoria's hand covered her mouth in surprise, she knew what that meant.

Harry took a deep breath before he continued, the next part was one of the big changes in Daphne's and Astoria's life now.

"In response, I called for both of you to be released as Wards of House Potter, as well as matching his call of a fine by securing your names and inheritances, whatever they may be." Harry waited a moment to let that sink in before realizing that Astoria didn't quite understand what that meant. Daphne had a blank look on her face, knowing what was coming.

"To be a Ward of a House means that I am responsible for your care, your comfort, as well as your futures. In essence I become your Head of House and you would normally take on the name Potter. I did not want this, but the alternative would have been to call for the dissolution of House Greengrass and I did not want that either. I chose the option that seemed safer at the time and for that, I am sorry" Harry stopped to allow for questions.

"Is it permanent?" Astoria bit her lip, not quite sure what to make of it all. Daphne was the one who spoke up this time. Her voice was cold.

"It is not permanent, but its permanence is not decided by you and I. Wardship lasts until either the claimant releases us or we become of age and are matched in marriage in some way or another." Astoria gasped. She couldn't go home until Harry released them or they were old enough for marriage?

Harry nodded solemnly. He hoped his next words would help make the realization a little less harsh. He coughed into his hand to clear his suddenly thick throat. "Exactly. When I made the offer it was with the intent to keep you both safe from your father until he realized that his treatment of you both was unfair. This was why I made sure to secure your name and inheritances so that when, not if, I released you both from Wardship it would be into a hopefully better situation than the one I had aggravated by butting into Greengrass business"

Daphne had such a harsh, almost betrayed, look when she stared at Harry at his last words. She had trusted him, just a little more than she trusted most people but it had still been a measure of trust.

"What do you mean?" Astoria asked, confused. And it was suddenly apparent to Harry. Astoria didn't know. She didn't quite know the man that was her father, always being hidden in her bedroom and behind closed doors. A black mark on Jackson Greengrass's history and a symbol of both Jackson's greatest accomplishments and greatest failings. The dark secret.

Harry ignored the question, instead locking eyes with Daphne. Daphne was hurt, her desire to protect her sister fighting a battle against Astoria needing to know why their new situation was needed. She was betrayed. She had felt a kinship with Harry after his level of understanding he had shown and the revelations that he had shared with her in his Study, and his discretion in dealing with the signs of abuse. Now there was a need for it all to come to light and honestly? Daphne was scared. Scared of her sister's reaction. Scared of having her weakness shared. But there was nothing to do about it now. Daphne nodded once. The movement was tight and forced but final. Harry nodded in return, the message understood. Astoria deserved to know.

"Your father had grabbed Daphne's wrist in a painful manner, and in front of a packed store of patrons called her a whore. Repeatedly" Astoria's eyes watered and she looked at Daphne who was devoid of emotion and staring at the wall in front of her. "And it was not the first sign of abuse that I had noticed. I too have had a less than ideal childhood before I was able to get away from it so I knew the signs for what they were. Your father was an abuser, Astoria."

"No!" Astoria gasped. Her sister? The silent, perfect beauty that she loved so? She had noticed the oddities and ignored them. The obedience, the constant lessons, the lack of love. It differed so much from her stories but Astoria had known nothing else. But Astoria could not ignore the level of sense that it made. Daphne had been the poster child of the Greengrass family, the perfect Heiress, and took everything in stride and only asked for one thing in return. Astoria's exclusion. That meant. No. That meant that every hardship that had locked Daphne in her room where Astoria had often heard faint crying had been to protect Astoria. Astoria had chalked it up to her illness, thinking that her sister thought her frail and unable to keep up with the lessons and the noble upbringing. Astoria had yelled at Daphne for that on more than one occasion! And Daphne had taken all of that, and everything that their father had thrown at her, so that Astoria would be spared. "No…" Astoria whispered and she cried. Harry sat awkwardly and let the girl have her moment.

Daphne's cool demeanor, a careful constructed shell perfected over the years, was cracked at her sister's crying. An arm was extended and used to pull Astoria into Daphne's side and Daphne softly crooned to the girl, petting her hair reassuringly and let the girl cry. It lasted for only a few minutes, until a hiccoughing voice came from the small girl.

"What h-happened next?" Astoria was not weak, despite what others might expect of the girl. She had been told at a young age that her health would prevent her from a lot, and even make her life shorter than most witches but that had endowed her with a strength that was surprising. Astoria had been determined that even though her life would be short it would be happy, and her sunny disposition and quiet strength had often served as the rock of Daphne's life.

Harry hid a small smile at the obvious love the two sisters had for each other. It was their greatest strength and Harry thanked his lucky stars that he had included Astoria in his terms. Separating the two would surely had broken them both. But he knew his task and at the question he continued where he left off.

"For me to call for you both as Wards upon my victory your father was furious. The terms were agreed upon and we dueled. The battle was fierce and long." Harry glossed over some of the details of the duel, "In the end I emerged the victor. It was now on your father to meet the terms that we had agreed upon and I, along with Lord Abbott who had served as the mediator for the duel as well as a handful of Aurors accompanied your father to the house to get you" Harry thought about Lord Abbott. The man had been tended to after their arrival yesterday by Dobby and sent home after he regained consciousness along with a sincere 'thank you' to Harry for resolving the situation. Harry had been in the full throes of his melancholy and hardly remembered the exchange. He should probably send a letter or something.

Harry got back to where he was and continued, "The wards on the house rejected the Aurors. Your father clearly did not want to admit that he had lost and he destroyed the Floo. While I tried to keep him from doing anything he would regret the man was understandably distraught. Daphne and Tracey headed up to get you and I stayed downstairs and called Dobby when I noticed Dolly enter the room. The battle was just as fierce as the duel we had just fought. Only this time, I had to protect Lord Abbott from being caught in the crossfire and took a couple wounds in the exchanges," At this both girls gasped. Daphne remembered the blood on her clothes this morning but had thought that somehow it had been her father's. To think that it was Harry's!

"Where?" Astoria asked. The boy had shown no signs of injury cooking them breakfast and had been more concerned with Daphne's tweaked neck than wounds that he was hiding from them?

Harry hesitated. He hadn't rested and had honestly not even thought about the wounds he had sustained. He had used his Inventory to change yesterday when he had gotten home and again that morning instead of using a mirror. The wounds were still present.

"Where are you hurt, Potter?" Daphne's cool voice served to break Harry out of his thoughts, but just under it was a tinge of concern. Her tone brooked no argument and Harry knew that they wouldn't take no for an answer. He pointed to his chest, a cutting charm had caught it early in their exchange at the house but it also had taken the brunt of the Bombarda that Jackson had used to separate them in their duel. Then he pointed to his side, a bludgeoner had grazed him and mostly just bruised him. He pointed out a few scratches on his calves from shrapnel that had slipped under his shield charm.

"Show me." Daphne demanded.

Harry looked up in shock. Show her? "That's hardly appr-"

"I don't care. Potter. Show me." She had to know what he had gone through for them.

Nodding at the request Harry stood up and took a deep breath. Then, he pulled his shirt over his head. It was just over his head when he heard simultaneous gasps. Hidden beneath his sleeveless shirt was more wounds than even he had realized. They hadn't bothered him, even during his run, but they were there.

***Break***

Daphne covered her mouth with her hand after her gasp. On Harry's torso were multiple yellow-purple bruises and small scratches. The wounds had scabbed over but the most shocking wound of all was a cut across his abdomen parallel with the ribcage. It was deeper than the other scratches and much longer. It too had scabbed over but to think that Harry had hid it from them so well was shocking.

Astoria had much the same thoughts. On the otherwise impressive chest and stomach were a staggering amount of wounds that painted a picture of how extreme Harry's risk had been. The long wound across his abdomen had cracked at some point, probably when Harry had been reaching into that cabinet, and a single trickle of blood descended down his abs.

***Break***

Harry looked down at his torso. Well damn. Gamer privileges and adrenaline had made him unaware of the extent of his wounds and the events since had prevented him from thinking about them. A brief look at his health bar, a sight that he was so used to that he hadn't paid attention to it since the duel, showed that he was at 280 health out of 350. Double damn.

"Merlin…" came the breathless whisper of Astoria and the soft spoken word shattered the moment. Harry pulled his shirt back over his head and sat back down.

Harry cleared his throat and decided to continue the story for the sake of pulling attention away from the wounds, "After Daphne came back down to get your dog, she stopped Dolly who had been fighting Dobby and that served as enough of a distraction for Dobby to win his fight." Harry omitted Dolly being ordered to kill him for the sake of saving some of the Elf's dignity, "Then the aurors arrived to enforce the Law of Forfeiture. The Law of Forfeiture is what happens to a Lord when he breaks the terms set forth by the Law of Rightful Challenge and is the immediate seizure of the Lord's lands and holdings. Extreme, but has served to enforce the severity of Rightful Challenge for a long time. From there Daphne and I were able to escape and now… Now here we are."

Astoria processed it all. Land and holdings, that means their home and their money, right? Money had never been a concern of hers but then she realized that Harry had left something out.

"So we lost our home and money? And what happened to Father?" The girl asked the tough questions that Harry had hoped to have a bit more time before he told them about. He looked at Daphne who nodded, the older girl wanting to know the answer as well.

Harry sighed. He was too young for this. Much too young. He had the means to care for the two girls but honestly did he have the right? The Law said that he did but he hadn't planned on the situation becoming permanent like this. Again Dumbledore's words came to mind in the form of his new personal mantra. The only thing he could do was decide for himself what he was going to do and live with the choices he made. He knew he needed to just come out and say what needed to be said.

"Yes. Greengrass Manor is no more. As for money, that as well is gone except for whatever is in your father's latest iteration of his Will which was held from the seizure by my terms of the duel." Harry let that sink in for a moment for both girls before continuing, "As for Lord Greengrass…" Harry coughed. This was not easy. "As for Lord Greengrass he has been found guilty by the Wizengamot for High Crime, the act of breaking laws governing Heads of Houses, and sentenced to life in Azkaban"

***Break***

Harry sat in his armchair, alone in the sitting room. After he had told the Greengrass daughters the fate of their father Astoria had burst into tears and bolted from the room. Daphne had chased after her with Balto just behind and they were somewhere upstairs. He had had hours to process it all but it was fresh wounds for them. They needed time.

Dobby and Dolly had shown up a moment ago to ask what they could do. Harry issued a series of orders to them, orders that he had not yet had a chance to give them. As Head of the House the Elf's only listened to him unless ordered otherwise. So Harry ordered them to follow orders from Daphne and Astoria as if they were from his own mouth unless those orders conflicted with an order of Harry's own or risked harm to health or House.

_Logistics skill has increased! It is now 24!_

Then Harry ordered them to carry out their duties, after finding out where their strengths were. Dobby was clearly the better cook so that task was his. Decorating was also in favor of Dobby. Cleaning, hedging, and laundry was Dolly's forte so she was allocated those tasks. Harry hated the management of another living being's life but knew that House Elves were strange creatures. After he finished his last order to Dolly to get her on the same level as Dobby he laid back in his armchair and the Elves left the room.

_Logistics skill has increased! It is now 25! Boon Unlocked._

Harry ignored the Notification, he would get to it later. Right now he honestly just wanted to sleep. Deciding to do just that Harry carried the pensieve back to his study along with the newspaper clipping. The portrait of Allisandra was again deposited in the box on his desk. He would let the girls know of the rest of his failings later. He crept upstairs and past the girl's room carefully. Crying could be heard through the door but Harry knew there wasn't anything he could do about it.

His bed welcomed him with loving arms, and he set himself to Rest for an hour. Just enough to fix his wounds and let him have some blessed escape. Darkness descended.

***Break***

Tracey's teary eyes stared at the Daily Prophet Special Issue. She was in her room where she had been almost exclusively since she had left Harry standing in his sitting room. She had left him. It hurt, but not as much as seeing the photo for the special issue and the words within. Tracey had never put stock into the words of Rita Skeeter, her mom was wise to the utter lies that the woman put into all of her articles having been the target of a few articles herself and had taught her daughter to ignore them. The fact that Rita had said that Harry and Daphne were having some sort of affair behind her back actually did the opposite of what Harry had feared. Tracey realized that she had been wrong.

Reviewing the events of yesterday stung deeply. Tracey very clearly remembered the bravery that Harry had portrayed facing the furious assault of Lord Greengrass and how he had faced that anger, that hate, not with anger of his own but instead choosing to go for the arguably harder victory and forcing the man to yield. Harry Potter had made Lord Greengrass, an indomitable force in her friend's life, to yield. Then, when most people would be worried about their own wounds, Harry had immediately gone to check on Daphne. That was what Tracey saw in the photo. Harry's only concern had been the safety and security of Daphne no matter the poison that Rita tried to give the photo. Bravery and selflessness. And then they went to collect Astoria. Tracey still didn't understand how Harry had known about the girl but that was hardly the point.

At the manor Harry had tried to talk down the man, indeed even offering to argue on the man's behalf if Lord Greengrass stopped his rampage. Tracey had been so scared in that moment when they had seen the fireplace explode in front of their eyes. But she remembered Harry's arms wrapping around both Tracey and Daphne and using his own body to shield them from the blast. Harry had blocked every spell that Lord Greengrass had blindly thrown around the room in the man's rage. A few of them had almost hit Tracey and Daphne and Lord Abbott. Bravery, selflessness, and protectiveness. Tracey didn't know what happened after she had fled the hall with Daphne. But she remembered Harry's wounds all over his body when he had walked into that sitting room carrying a crying, no bawling, Daphne like someone out of a story book. And how despite his wounds Harry had only acted to bring her friend together with Astoria. It could not have been easy to carry Daphne up those stairs with wounds.

So where she had only given anger, jealousy, fear, and misguided judgements Harry had portrayed nothing that day beyond bravery, maturity, selflessness, and indeed righteous justice. Where Tracey had only seen an unequivocally inescapable fate of her friend's treatment by her father Harry had seen a grave injustice and immediately had moved to right it. In the face of that Tracey had only thrown false allegations at Harry and walked out on him.

Tracey felt terrible. She looked once more to her bedside table where a facedown frame hid the photo of the night in Spain. That was the Harry she should have seen from the beginning. Instead her immaturity had coupled with the dizzying amount of activity yesterday and she overreacted.

She knew. She knew that things between her and Harry were done. And it was her fault. Her actions and her accusations had burned the budding relationship down in the same fiery glory as the flames that had carried Tracey home. She remembered the sincerity Harry had put into his eyes when he said that the words of Lord Greengrass were untrue but in the moment, in the face of everything that had gone on that day, for one dark moment Tracey had believed the words. And that wasn't only a betrayal to Harry but to Daphne as well. The cool, proper, yet also timid and witty friend that she had had for years. Who lived vicariously through Tracey and used the days that she was able to visit the Davis's as an escape from her reality. They had shared thousands of thoughts and dreams with one another and through that trust Tracey knew Daphne's biggest dream, one that had seemed so impossible in the girl's situation, of falling in love and finding happiness outside of the grasp of Lord Greengrass. Daphne would never whore herself out. Ever. Not in a million years or for a billion Galleons.

Tracey cried.

***Break***

Daphne held her crying sister. They were in the room that they had stayed in overnight. For once, Daphne did not feel like crying. She… honestly she didn't know what she felt. But oddly she did not feel like joining her sister in her tears. Daphne too was reviewing everything that happened yesterday, and how Harry had been like an eye in the storm. Where the world around her was being destroyed the Potter Lord had been calm in the face of it all except for the anger that Harry had only shown at the sight of Daphne being hurt.

Daphne knew that her father was one hell of a duelist, having seen the man's precise practice when he was teaching Daphne the rules of dueling, and she had seen for herself that the duel had not been easy for Harry. Her relationship with her father was a complicated one. Obviously there was the abuse and it filled a lot of the interactions between father and daughter. But Lord Greengrass had accepted her rule that Astoria be spared from the training to be a noble daughter. The man was cold and ruthless but had instilled in Daphne every skill that the girl would need to be able to navigate high society. She couldn't forgive her father for his harsh treatment over the years and if Daphne was honest she was very relieved to be out from under the man's control. Still, though, there was a measure of almost… respect at the fact that her father had never laid a finger on Astoria. A harsh word, sure. Love? Not once. But the man had paid for Astoria's treatment without complaint. Had bought the girl Balto on her 9th birthday at Daphne's request. Daphne had been used as the scapegoat, the outlet, for whatever anger and darkness the man harbored but she had been given a modicum of control in sparing Astoria the same fate. The abuse had never turned sexual in nature, a fact that Daphne wasn't so much grateful for as relieved. Gratefulness was a feeling reserved for good men and she understood very well that her father was not a good man.

She realized then what the feeling was that was confusing her. It wasn't a feeling that she was used to having. One that she had caught glimpses of over the years as if sunlight through a break in the curtain of the barred window of her existence. A feeling that she associated with Astoria and Tracey. Daphne Greengrass realized that she was… happy. And like a dam breaking, her tears started flowing forth. But through it, even holding her crying sister, Daphne had a small smile on her face. She was free, her father was gone.

***Break***

Astoria finally got the tears to stop. She was so hurt. Her father, a cold and distant figure in her life now resided in Azkaban. That wasn't what had caused her tears though. It was the revelation that her sister had protected her from the man. Lord Greengrass was a man that no one crossed easily. Astoria understood at least that much about her father. For it to be revealed that Daphne had been shielding her from the man for years, _years_, so casually. A fact so obvious now but one that Astoria in her sheltered existence had been unable to see.

It only served to reaffirm Astoria's love for her older sister. Daphne, who usually hid behind a mask of detachment and propriety, was the one person that Astoria could without a doubt say that she loved. Sure she cared for Dolly, but Dolly was a House Elf. And she loved Balto, but Balto was a dog. The only love that Astoria had known in her short life had been Daphne. The only reason she knew what love was outside of a concept inside her beloved story books was Daphne. The late nights her sister had read to her despite exhaustion from that day's lessons. The many times that she had crawled into Daphne's bed after a nightmare. As much as Astoria was Daphne's rock so too was Daphne Astoria's. To find that Daphne had done all of that while protecting Astoria when lesser people would have harbored resentment was heart wrenching. It made the younger sibling love her sister all the more and Astoria's watery eyes met Daphne's. They shared a smile and Astoria hugged the girl tightly. Daphne was free, her father was gone.

No words were needed between the sisters. They both simply took comfort in the presence of the other. As strange as their new situation was there was also hope. Balto jumped onto Astoria once her crying had stopped and was making her giggle with licks to the face. His human was okay. They both got out of bed and refreshed themselves in the bathroom. Balto kept them both entertained with his antics and both were giggling as the giddiness of their realizations filled them. The two girls had each other, and Balto of course, and that was enough. Now they just had to thank Harry for what he had risked for them.

***Break***

Harry's eyes snapped open. His hour was up. He felt refreshed and healthy once more. The faint sound of giggling could be heard from the hallway and Harry got out of bed. A long stretch and Harry both heard and felt a satisfying pop from his back. He headed to the bathroom real quick and stripped off the clothes that he had slept in. His body was restored to its former glory as shown by his health bar. 350 out of 350. A quick rinse had him refreshed and he put on the boxers that Dobby had retrieved for him, the only clothing that Harry let the Elf pick for him. He preferred to dress himself, thank you. In the comfort of his own home Harry forewent the use of the Inventory changing system and would use his closet.

He rubbed the towel through his hair enjoying the feel of the soft cotton over drying charms. Something was weird though, and after just a moment he placed the noise he was hearing. Someone was bounding around the house like a madman.

***Break***

Daphne exited the bathroom composed and still giggling. Balto was bouncing around the room in the hyperactivity so common in his Husky breed. Astoria was jumping with him. The normally reserved girl was drawn into the scene but refused to join them even when Astoria tried to grab her hands and have the older girl jump with them.

"Astoria, settle down" Daphne said half-heartedly, not truly wanting to reign in the girl's happiness. Shaking her head as the girl and dog transitioned to the bed to text out the springiness of the mattress Daphne called for Dobby.

"Dobby, where is Harry?" Daphne asked the Elf. She knew that Dolly was now in service to House Potter but Dobby was the Head Elf and therefore would know where Harry was.

"Master Harry is in his room" Dobby answered clearly and accepted the dismissal that Daphne sent his way.

Daphne spared one more look at her sister in exasperation before exiting the room and heading down the hall. She knocked twice quietly, and then opened the door when her knock had revealed it to be cracked. She stepped into the room from the hallway at the same time that Harry stepped out of the bathroom. Daphne froze.

Wet hair being lazily dried with a towel. Skin lightly toned from regular time spent in the sun. Strong broad shoulders above a chest with obvious pectoral muscles. Abs free of their earlier wounds and toned from regular use but not in an unhealthy way. Tight boxers over runner's legs. Harry, who had spent a summer training Physical Skills and upping his Strength and Constitution cut a fine figure.

Harry looked up and locked eyes with Daphne who was just beginning to blush profusely from her frozen position. Confusion came across his face for a moment. He knew he had closed that door, he always closed that door. Then he realized the position he was in.

"Daphne! Get out!" Harry yelled and used his towel to cover what he could. Thank god he at least had his boxers on. Daphne let out a very uncharacteristic eep and swiftly exited the room. Harry walked over and slammed his door

From his position in the corner, unseen of course, Dobby grinned. That would teach Harry to kick him out of his kitchen.

In the hallway, very flustered, Daphne pinched her arm, "Stupid Daphne"

*Fin*

Ah, sweet revenge. Good job, Dobby.

This chapter officially brings us past 100,000 words! WOOHOO! Next chapter will be a long one. I will be combining the final bits of the fallout together and bringing the summer to a close. We will be headed to Hogwarts!


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Woohoohoohoo, 100,000 words! Surreal. I'll jump right into this though. Review answers are being moved to the end of this and future chapters as crazily they are getting more frequent! The support means so much you guys!

And away we go!

Chapter 15: Fallout Part 3

Harry stared at Dobby who matched his gaze. The two were measuring up the other. Harry had caught Dobby in the corner and after ordering Dobby to tell Harry why the Elf was grinning Dobby had begrudgingly told his Master about the door he had opened just enough to trick Daphne into walking in and why the Elf had done it.

Finally Harry grinned. As embarrassing as it had been Harry couldn't deny that it was kind of funny in a karma kind of way. Harry had walked in on Daphne, and Daphne had walked in on Harry. No harm had been done. And Dobby had made sure that Harry at least had his boxers on. But it wouldn't do not to punish the Elf just a bit.

"Well played, Dobby" Harry said and Dobby enjoyed the praise for just a moment before Harry's large hand descended on Dobby's head. Dobby soared through the air and landed on the bed when Harry tossed him like a ragdoll. It was the only punishment Harry had agreed to when Dobby and he were just starting their Master and House Elf relationship. He rarely used it but after Dobby had said that House Elves were sturdy creatures for a reason, and that Harry needed to decide on some form of punishment, Harry had agreed on the condition that he would only throw the Elf onto something soft. It was more fun than harmful, and carried the message that 'yes, you did something wrong' without causing any damage.

"Now clean this up" Harry said laughing as he stepped into his closet.

***Break***

Daphne tried to quiet her beating heart. She had just seen Harry in a very improper state of dress. The tight boxers were a far cry from the Lord's swimming briefs that had been baggy and much more modest. Why in Merlin's name were they so tight she thought to herself, face flushed. And Harry had worn a shirt for the party, even when he dropped into the water next to Tracey. Sure she had seen him shirtless earlier but that had been with an eye for his wounds not his body. She hadn't moved from her spot in the hallway for almost 5 minutes completely lost in thought and aghast at her impropriety.

Her leaden feet finally moved and carried her back to the room she had left Astoria in. The young girl had settled down from her exuberant behaviour but was currently fighting Balto. Astoria had dumped the contents of her clothes bag from fleeing Greengrass Manor onto the bed and the dog was rolling around in it while wrestling with Astoria over a bodice that had looked like it would be fun to chew.

"Balto! No! I actually like this one, let go! Let go!" Astoria pulled hard but her frail body wasn't a match for the energetic dog. Daphne took in the scene from just inside the doorway and her presence was noticed by Astoria who gave up the fight with the dog and decided to let him have the piece of clothing.

Astoria had heard Harry's yell from the doorway that Daphne had left open and immediately took in the blushing face of her sister before she grinned smugly, putting 2 and 2 together, "Why the red face Daph? Did you find him, Harry?"

Daphne jumped slightly at the mention of Harry and hid her face just a bit as the rest of the words caught up to her as well as their potential double meaning. Astoria laughed at her sister, the noise boisterous and sincere. It served to give Daphne a small smile as well at the karmic justice. Harry had walked in on Daphne, and Daphne had walked in on Harry. Even if Daphne knew that she had gotten a bit more of an eyeful than Harry had.

***Break***

Harry stepped out of his room, lazily dressed in a T-shirt and shorts. The walk down the hall was short and he came up behind Daphne who had stopped in the door. Harry's sudden appearance behind her sister made Astoria laugh loudly at the blushing girl who didn't realize that Harry was there.

"Something funny?" Harry said and Daphne jumped at the noise from behind her, letting out a short expletive.

Harry looked at Daphne oddly for her reaction, so very unlike the normally collected girl. Then he laughed as he realized the word she had let out when she jumped.

"Bollocks, Daphne? Really? Come on, we should continue our talks" And Harry left the mortified girl to process the hidden meaning behind Harry's words. Astoria was cackling at this point and joined Balto in rolling on the clothes on the bed, bodice long forgotten.

***Break***

Harry stopped by his Study to retrieve the pensieve, newspaper, and portrait once more. He also grabbed a book off the shelf. He met Astoria in the sitting room and got set up.

"Where's Daphne?" Harry asked the girl who curled up on the couch with Balto quick to put his head in her lap. At the mention of her sister Astoria giggled again, the hilarity of Daphne's embarrassment being apparent to a girl who read romance novels and had caught the double meaning of bollocks.

"She's getting ready. Something had her all flustered" Astoria giggled harder at her own words. Harry let out a quiet chuckle of exasperation, and took his spot in his armchair.

"Yes, karma can sometimes work in mysterious ways" Harry quipped to the girl who laughed a little harder. Astoria was interesting to Harry, the young girl having an energetic wit and intense curiosity. It was clear to Harry that Daphne cared for the girl more than anything else.

"How are you?" Harry decided to ask the girl. His interactions with the girl could be counted on one hand with fingers left over so he took the opportunity to talk to her one on one.

Astoria stopped giggling after a short moment and let out one final big breath to regain her composure. She pet Balto's head in her lap for another short moment before speaking. "I'm actually… good? I don't know. It was a lot to learn in a short while and this is all still a huge change for me. But I have Daphne, I have Balto. So… yes, I'm good"

Harry added surprising optimism to the list of traits he now associated with Astoria, and then eyed Balto. There would need to be some ground rules laid out but that could wait as the dog was clearly a calming presence for the girl. He was happy that Dolly had no issues getting the dog out of the Manor.

"That's good. I know that this is all so sudden, it is for me as well. I can barely function without Dobby and now I have 2 more people in my care. But if you need anything, anything at all, please let me know." Harry watched Daphne cross the room when the older sister joined them both. She had clearly recomposed herself and her sitting was the definition of proper.

"That goes for you as well, Daphne. Anything at all, if it's within my power to provide I will." Harry's words were sincere, "This is going to take some getting used to for all of us."

Astoria thought for a moment before asking, "Can we go to Diagon Alley? I wasn't able to for… reasons, and I still need my supplies"

Harry looked at Daphne with a questioning look, wondering why they hadn't picked up the girl's supplies yesterday.

Daphne spoke clearly and politely, but with a small measure of warmth at Harry's earlier words "Astoria had her treatment yesterday which keeps her in bed for a while. But she deserves the experience of getting her first-year supplies and wand. Tradition. We were going to go later in the week when the crowd quieted down a bit"

"Hmmm. Well we can probably go but," Harry's mood darkened a bit at what he still needed to do, "But we still have some things to talk about first"

The girl's shifted at Harry's change in tone and shared a small look. Harry sighed and got up to walk over and place the Special Issue of the Daily Prophet in Daphne's hand. He settled back into his seat and motioned to Dobby who nodded and started prepping some drinks and snacks. Astoria leaned against her sister to be able to read the article.

It didn't take the 2 girls long to get through the article and Harry watched a range of emotions play over Astoria's face at the words before she glanced at Harry with a look of outrage. Not at the implications in the article, Astoria knew her sister better than that, but at the audacity of the idea that there was some sort of affair between Harry and Daphne.

"What utter shite" Astoria said when she settled back and channeled her anger into aggressively loving pets for Balto. She glared at the wall. No one insulted her sister like that.

Daphne however was staring at the picture. She remembered that moment, when Harry had been coming over to reassure her when her father had been screaming for her to come to her father's side. The sense of being lost wasn't so long ago and her still slightly raw emotions burned at the reminder. She was still staring at the picture when Harry plucked the newspaper from her fingers. It broke her from her introspection and as annoyed as she was for having anything plucked out of her hands she also appreciated Harry's interference.

"I agree, Astoria. What utter shite" Harry said with his back turned to them. He crumpled the newspaper and tossed it into the fireplace. With a smooth motion his wand came up as if summoned in his hand and he said "Incendio."

The newspaper flashed under the intense stream of fire from Harry's wand. He did not let up the spell until the newspaper was a small pile of ashes.

_Charms Skill has increased! It is now 56!_

Deed done, Harry again sat in his seat. Astoria was wide eyed at the powerful boy. The spell was flashy and the young girl had keenly felt the heat from the flames.

"Dolly! There seems to be something in the grate, it has a terrible smell. Please do something about it" Dolly popped in and had the ashes vanished in a moment. Harry smiled at the Elf who preened under the gaze before disappearing once more.

Daphne however had a different reaction and shot a small smile at Harry for his action. The message had been clear, Harry put no stock in the words of Rita Skeeter. But then a thought came to the girl.

"What about Tracey? Surely she's seen this article" Daphne asked, having not had much time to think about Tracey. She was shocked when Harry's eyes darkened at the mention of her best friend.

"Things are… over, between Tracey and I. It happened last night, before the article came out. I haven't seen her since" Harry said with finality. Daphne was shocked, she had thought that the 2 would last a bit longer.

"Why?" Astoria chimed in, her inquisitive nature getting the better of her. Tracey had come over in the days since the party and had happily gossiped with Astoria about her relationship with Harry.

Harry dragged his hands through his hair, and stared at the pensieve before gesturing to it. "That's why I have this out. I figured that I could tell you about the things that happened yesterday but I know that I would want to see it for myself if it had happened to me."

"What is it?" Daphne asked, having not seen a bowl like this before. Astoria too was enthralled by the beautiful stone basin but had not been able to infer its use or why Harry kept bringing it out.

Harry chuckled to himself, remembering another time and place where he had asked a similar question of Albus Dumbledore "It is a Pensieve. An artifact used to view and review memories. One who is skilled in the art of Occlumency can" and Harry placed his wand against his temple before twirling it oh so gently, gathering the gossamer strands of thoughts "pull memories from their minds and place them in the bowl"

The gossamer silvery strands were watched in fascination by the two sisters as Harry's wand dropped them into the Pensieve. The surface shimmered slightly. "Then, when the person wants they can use it in two ways. They can touch the water, and dive wholly into the memory or" Harry tapped the side with his wand and a ghostly image of Daphne rose up and repeated her earlier question her voice distant but clear "They can view a projection of those memories"

"Wicked..." Astoria said from her spot on the couch, clearly fascinated. Daphne too was intrigued by the artifact but also wary of it. Her thoughts were her own and the idea of sharing them with anyone intimidated her.

Harry remembered his past life's trouble with Pensieves. They were powerful artifacts but also intrusive if used improperly. A fact HJP could attest to when he had snuck into Snape's office in his 5th year. This Harry had experimented with the artifact a bit when Dobby had placed it in the Study. He had been curious how the artifact would work with his Gamer power. It had been to his immense shock that nothing involved with the Game made it into his memories. The Character Sheet did not show up and Harry had long memories looking like an idiot staring at nothing. The Chamber and any private moments that Harry had had with Tyran or any moments that were solely focused on the game were completely blacked out. Pauses were not captured at all, no break in the memory to indicate that Harry had been frozen in time at that point of the memory. And the Player's Handbook was a very explicit and steamy romance novel. Harry's ears had burned for hours when he had curiously read some of the lines of the book that the Handbook impersonated.

It made sense though, Fate would hardly want him finding a work around to reveal the Game. Harry stopped his thoughts and got back to the matter at hand. "Now, we do not need to use this. But I wanted to convey my sincerity at offering to provide closure or explanation for how yesterday went. … Including how things had ended with Tracey"

Harry looked at Daphne when he said the last part. "It isn't pretty, but I don't want to show you to try and put anything between you two. I know that you 2 are best friends and this new situation in life could cause some tension. But again, since I would want to see it for myself I thought I would present the option."

Daphne hesitated for a moment. Did she want to see it? Whatever 'it' was? Astoria's excited voice interrupted when she said, "I want to see it!"

Harry was shocked at the girl's excitement, the girl was clearly more interested to see how the Pensieve worked rather than understanding the level of exposure viewing memories afforded a person. He was saved from having to comment when Daphne spoke up as well.

"I… I want to see it" Daphne softly before politely clearing her throat and saying louder and more firmly, "I want to see it."

Harry nodded and his wand raised to his temple.

***Break***

The falling sensation ended and the 3 of them were in the entryway where faint crying could be heard. Harry looked around for a moment until a 2nd, much bloodier and dirty Harry descended down the stairs before their eyes. Daphne and Astoria both gasped at the sight. The dueling robes were torn in multiple spots and 2ndHarry had a tired look in his eyes. Tracey too looked exhausted. The trio followed the duo when they walked by. Astoria tried to touch the 2nd Harry but her hand just went through him.

The worn out couple sat heavily on the couch in the sitting room, the same one that Astoria and Daphne had occupied. 2nd Harry sat on the couch heavily and Tracey sat next to him in a more subdued manner. To the observers, the teenaged couple looked lost and defeated. Daphne watched her friend's face carefully to ignore the crying upstairs. Dobby walked through Astoria to bring tea to the seated pair.

The two daughters watched in rapt fascination as the scene unfolded before them. 2nd Harry got on his knee before Tracey "No. Absolutely not." Daphne turned her attention to the real Harry who had an unreadable expression.

"Then why did it start? Why did it have to go the way it did?"

They watched as 2nd Harry looked like the weight of the world forced him back into the seat. "Lord Greengrass said some things. Things that triggered something within me. That coupled with my intense dislike of the man from the moment I first met him and the accusations he threw at me, and Daphne as well, made him inexcusable in my eyes"

Astoria looked up at the much taller teen boy next to her, the reality of viewing another person's memories starting to set in. "But a duel? To the death? She's my best friend Harry but calling someone a whore doesn't potentially forfeit a life. And now a man, no matter how vile of a man, has had his whole life ruined and family torn apart"

At the truth of the words, Astoria started to tear up. She was happy, but that didn't mean that the new situation didn't still sting a bit.

"Are you seriously trying to defend him?" pure disbelief rang in 2nd Harry's voice.

And then the explosion happened. Daphne watched the memory of her friend as she screamed, "I'm not trying to defend him! I'm trying to come to terms with the fact that my boyfriend tore apart a family, uprooted my best friend's life, a life that she was perfectly capable of navigating on her own before you came along, and now will be LIVING with that best friend! All while displaying skills no 2nd year should have and knowledge that you had no business knowing! Who told you about Astoria? Why were you so offended when Lord Greengrass called her a whore? Yes, it was vile, it's always vile being around that man which is a fact that I WARNED you about but it was hardly the first time that he had called her that! Why were you so able to challenge that man to a duel, TO THE DEATH, over that? You've known Daphne for what, 4 weeks?" Tracey finally let it all out and breathed heavily from her standing position that she had risen to.

Daphne looked at the real Harry once more, and was shocked to see the tears in the Lord's eyes as he watched the scene unfold while also reliving it internally. The risk of negative reaction from either Astoria or Daphne from seeing the memory in all its truth, the intimate exposure that Harry had gifted them to allow the 2 daughter's into his mind like this settled onto Daphne.

2nd Harry rose to his feet in a fury, looking clearly conflicted about something before Tracey's voice caught the attention of the 2 girls. Harry's eyes went to the floor, knowing what was coming and unable to look.

"You like her," Tracey's accusatory tone cut through the silence.

"What?" 2nd Harry asked in clear disbelief.

"Oh Merlin, you do, you like Daphne" Tracey stomped away for a moment in outrage before whirling back around to face him, "So, what, this was all some ploy? You saw a chance to save the damsel in distress and bring her under your care? Bring her into your home?"

Astoria looked at the real Harry, wishing that she could know if the accusation had a color of truth but not daring to ask. All she saw was Harry looking at the floor and holding back tears. The first true moment of weakness that Astoria had ever seen in the boy.

"What are you talking about?" 2nd Harry's took Astoria's attention once more.

"You're ridiculous! You can't even admit it! You know what? I'm leaving" Tracey stormed past Harry, shaking off the arm that 2nd Harry had extended out to her to rip the pot of Floo powder off the mantle. Tracey grabbed a handful and stepped into the fireplace. When she turned to face him her eyes were full of tears, but her voice was clear as she threw the powder down and green flames rose up.

"Davis Manor"

The real Harry let out a breath, centering himself. That had not been easy to relive so soon. The memory continued but only showed 2nd Harry standing there. Harry wiped his eyes and looked at Daphne, who was staring at him with an intense look. He looked at Astoria who also had some tears in her eyes at the emotional scene.

Harry looked up, and the Pensieve pulled them out of the memory and back into the sitting room. The room looked the same but so different.

***Break***

Harry settled back into his armchair and subtly sniffed the last of his tears away. He composed himself quietly and then looked up at the 2 girls who had retaken their seats. Harry let the silence continue, not feeling like breaking it.

"Wow. That was… That was real" Astoria said once Balto had gotten comfortable once more. Harry snorted at the casual and almost callous observation.

Harry cleared his throat before replying, "Yeah. That's the magic of Pensieves for you. Great for reviewing things and spotting patterns, not so great for watching your girlfriend dump you"

Astoria grimaced, "I'm sorry, Harry, that was inappropriate"

Harry waved away the apology, having not really taken offense. Instead he was watching Daphne who had not said anything since the memory ended.

Daphne was staring at her hands as she went over the memory in her head. That had been an intimate look at a very private moment for Harry. She didn't know what to make of it to be honest, it had been so much so fast. The girl looked up at Harry for a moment before looking down once more.

"Can I… Can I see it again? Alone? From the beginning?" Daphne asked quietly.

"Which beginning?" Harry idly stirred the shimmering waters of the Pensieve with his wand, watching something in its depths.

Daphne thought for a moment, before looking at her sister who had clutched her hand. Daphne shook her head, and pulled her hand away. "When we first arrived at your House."

Harry stared at her intensely and Daphne looked back at him. That would be when the Portkey landed them in the entryway. It would have some tough moments for the girl. The look in Daphne's eyes was one of determination though. Harry sighed and nodded. He pulled the strands from the bowl, put them back in his head for a moment and then pulled another strand infinitesimally thicker which he added to the stone bowl. He stirred it for a moment.

Harry stood up, picking the Pensieve up as well. It would hardly do for Daphne to watch the memory in here, both due to the awkwardness of someone having their head in a bowl with an outside audience and also due to the fact that seeing it all, especially the bawling Daphne herself, needed a bit of privacy.

"Come on, you can use the Study" Harry said, and walked into the hallway. Daphne looked at her sister for a moment and stood up. Astoria started to get up as well but huffed and stopped when Daphne shot her a look and shook her head once more. Daphne needed to see this alone, to have it all make sense to her.

The Study looked the same to Daphne as the last time that she had been in here, except the chairs were closer this time. Harry placed the Pensieve on the desk and pulled a chair up to it so that Daphne could view the memory while seated unlike the standing position they had used before.

"Thank you, Harry… I know that could not have been easy for you" Daphne said softly yet sincerely to the boy when he turned around from the desk and chair. Harry smiled a small smile.

"None of this has been easy for any of us, Daphne, that's the point." Harry replied in the same tone. "You know how this room works, rejoin us when you're ready"

And with that Harry walked passed the girl, closing the door of the Study.

***Break***

Harry walked back into the sitting room and rejoined Astoria. They sat for a while in silence, sipping on the tea that Dobby had brought them.

Finally Astoria's curiosity got the best of her and she felt compelled to ask, "Do you like my sister?"

Harry coughed on his tea, spilling some of it. He vanished the mess with a wave of his wand before setting the cup down. He looked up at Astoria, honestly a little annoyed at the question.

"If you're asking if I like her as a person, yes. If you're asking if I like her romantically, I will remind you of the breakup that we just watched which happened just yesterday" Harry replied slightly heated at the question.

Astoria at least had the decency to look a bit sheepish but she wasn't about to back down, "That doesn't answer the question"

"No." He stated before she could ask again.

Astoria pet her dog, nodding at the proclamation before a look crossed her face, "No to the question or no to me asking again"

Harry groaned, the girl was relentless. "No to the question, I don't like your sister in a romantic sense"

"Hmm." was Astoria's only response. Well she at least had that in common with her sister. Suddenly Harry found himself missing Daphne's propriety, she would not have asked such a brazen question.

Harry tapped his finger idly on the arm of his chair. Astoria played with Balto's compliant ears, putting them in weird orientations, the dog content to let his human do whatever she wanted as long as she didn't hurt him or stop petting him.

A minute passed.

"Are you sure?" Astoria asked.

Harry groaned, louder this time, but didn't comment. Instead he floated an ottoman over from the corner and put his feet up. Anything to shield himself from the precocious girl. He settled lower into his armchair and crossed his arms.

Another minute passed.

"You see, I think she likes you. Or at least might. And it's not like she's going anywhere. We live in your house now, and certain things are bound to happen. Like earlier, when she caught you naked." Astoria hinted. Still she played with Balto's ears but got bored with that and started maneuvering the dogs lips into funny faces which she matched with her own.

"She didn't catch me naked" Harry stated defiantly.

"Bollocks" Astoria replied, repeating the expletive from earlier but using the other meaning this time.

Harry groaned again, having his own joke used against him. "She caught me in my boxers, right out of the shower"

"You wear your boxers in the shower?" Astoria asked, none of her books had said anything about that.

"No I don't w- you know what? We're gonna stop talking about this" Harry honestly didn't know how this girl was in any way related to Daphne. She was rude, improper, inappropriate, and dropped innuendo like it was going out of style.

Astoria grinned unseen from Harry's position, she had him right where she wanted him.

Another minute passed.

"Have you kissed?" Astoria asked innocently.

"What? No!" Harry pulled himself up at the question and glared at the girl.

"Then how do you know if you like her?" Astoria pushed once more, still making faces with Balto.

Finally Harry had had enough. Time to fight fire with fire "You look like an idiot doing that" and settled back into his lowered position. Surely he would not be subject to this torture much longer.

"No, I look like Balto and Balto's cute therefore I look cute" She stuck her tongue out at Harry who couldn't see her, "You look like an idiot for avoiding the question"

"Keep talking and I'll show you how much you can look like Balto" Harry's wand was waved ominously in the air.

Astoria shut up.

Another minute passed.

"You really think she likes me?" And there it was. Astoria grinned triumphantly and accepted a high five from Balto, one of her favorite tricks. The bait had been bitten.

"Nope. Your feet are too weird" Astoria said and she fell into a fit of giggles when Harry moved his feet off the ottoman and glared at her. His face was smushed from his weird position and he honestly looked a bit ridiculous.

"My feet are not weird." Came Harry's witty rebuttal and Astoria only giggled harder. Harry grinned at the girl, her laughter infectious. When she looked at him again and saw his grin added to the smushed face she started laughing audibly.

"You look ridiculous!" She managed to breathe out and clutched her sides, a stitch forming. Harry chuckled and scooted down a little lower, smushing his face more. Astoria dislodged Balto with her laughter and the dog fell off the couch making Astoria only laugh harder and Harry join her. Balto walked away a few steps and looked back at Astoria, sad. The dog walked into the breakfast nook to look for anything he might have missed from breakfast.

"Oh no! Balto, come back!" Astoria wheezed, still laughing along with Harry. Harry scooted back up in his seat and chuckled heartily as he grabbed his tea while Astoria tried her best to coax back the Husky who was still offended at being evicted from his seat.

Astoria had successfully baited him, he saw that now. He would have to watch himself around the young girl, she was more shrewd and manipulative than she let on. Harry turned to check the clock when he saw Daphne in the doorway, tears on her face and unmoving. Her arms were crossed and she shook slightly from the tears.

Like falling in an ice bath, the warm moment was forgotten and Harry jumped up from his seat. He hopped over the couch that separated him from Daphne and stopped, unsure what he could do, but concern was very clearly on his face. Daphne looked at him and simply stepped forward to close the gap between the 2 to rest her forehead against his chest, Harry being a head taller than her. With a panicked look Harry looked at Astoria who had rushed over to join them. Astoria mimed a hugging motion, knowing that Daphne was having a minor breakdown. But Daphne had strict rules over who could and could not touch her in moments like these, and as she was clearly choosing Harry in this moment, Astoria stayed away.

Harry wrapped his arms around the girl and had to squeeze tight when she practically fell. Carefully, slowly, he guided Daphne along and fully into the room.

***Break***

Daphne let the falling sensation take her, and was in the entryway once again. She watched, silently, as Harry walked the 2nd Daphne into the sitting room. The bawling was loud, and it hurt Daphne to hear the defeat that was apparent in her own cries. It hurt just a little bit more to see her own sister, crying in the sitting room. She followed them upstairs and watched detachedly as Harry carefully guided 2nd Daphne into the bed. She watched as Tracey did the same with Astoria.

It was so surreal to see, to be able to watch herself move around in the memory. Amidst all the emotion she remembered from that day, yesterday even Daphne reminded herself though the time already felt so long ago, she vividly remembered the feeling of gratefulness she felt towards Harry for his treatment of her. Despite the tears Daphne had felt secure in his arms, a feeling usually only afforded to Astoria or Tracey. Even in her weakest moment Harry had shown respect and care towards her. No judgements were cast or disdain for her weakness. No. It was clear to Daphne, as she watched Harry move around the room checking locks before leaving with Dobby and Tracey, that Harry only had compassion and empathy for her plight.

She followed Harry and Tracey down the stairs, and watched it once more. The fight was every bit as intense as the first time she had seen it but she tried to read between the lines, had gotten close and stared at the minor actions and reactions of the pair. She saw the sincerity in Harry's words when he denied the allegations. She analyzed all of Harry's words and facial expressions. All of her skill at reading between the lines being brought to bear, Daphne watched Harry's face and only his face. Daphne needed to understand and it was going to take all of her focus and attention to do it.

"And now a man, no matter how vile of a man, has had his whole life ruined and family torn apart" Daphne observed 2 flashes of emotion, righteous anger at the idea that somehow Lord Greengrass hadn't deserved his fate and regret at how it had shook the life of Astoria and Daphne.

"All while displaying skills no 2nd year should have and knowledge that you had no business knowing! Who told you about Astoria?" There was something that Daphne had wondered herself. Harry's skill was obvious, he had faced her own father on even footing. But at the mention of Astoria worry became apparent on Harry's face for just a moment. And not worry for Astoria but … because of Astoria?

"You like her...What?...Oh Merlin, you do, you like Daphne…" Here was another part that Daphne was keenly interested in. But seeing Harry's reactions made it clear to her. Harry didn't like her, not like that, but he understood her and at least a part of what she went through.

Daphne released her breath and fled the memory. That was no easier the second time and Daphne felt terrible for Harry who had had to relive it earlier. Daphne had tried hard to put herself in Harry's shoes, and keenly felt the boy's struggle at how everything had blown up for him the way it did. She could only imagine how it had felt for Harry himself. Not for the first time Daphne found herself feeling a kinship with Harry. Their upbringings clearly had a few similarities and despite their new friendship, for it was indeed friendship, there was a level of mutual respect for the other's struggles. What Daphne did for Astoria, putting herself in front of the young girl to protect her from the harsher realities of life, Harry did for everyone. The boy who wielded the Sword of Gryffindor definitely personified a lot of the traits of the House.

There were some key questions still, Daphne really wanted to know how Harry knew about Astoria, but that hardly mattered at the moment. What mattered was what Harry had almost lost yesterday. And partly what he did lose. Seeing the state of Harry after he had finally made it home, remembering his steadfast nature in the face of danger, knowing that if a single spell had gone just a little bit faster or stronger the duel could have gone the other way. It drove home what Harry had done for Daphne. Astoria as well.

Tears tickled Daphne's eyes. She had, in her weakness, drawn Harry into her struggles. First at the party, where Daphne had been unable to even handle casual conversation. And then again in Diagon, when Lord Greengrass had grabbed her wrist and called her a whore. At the party, when Daphne had felt so scared at the thought of even casual conversation Harry had sacrificed his privacy both by letting her into his Study and by sharing deep and personal details about his personal life just to let Daphne know that he understood and did not judge her. It had been inspiring, and she had found the strength to stay at the party and actually have a lot of fun.

Daphne had never dared to stand up to her father before. In that apothecary, she had challenged him. That was what had started it. Everything that Daphne, Astoria, Tracey, and Harry had gone through yesterday had been caused by her, because she dared to let herself be inspired by Harry Potter. She didn't regret it, of course, it had felt great for a moment to stand up to the man. But she understood that it was the man's reaction to the defiance that had prompted Harry to intervene on her behalf. And what did Harry potentially sacrifice this time? Only his entire House, his fortune, and his own life. Then, as if Harry had known what that defiance would mean for Astoria, Harry had extended that same protection to her sister. And with his victory Harry had asked for nothing else except 'What else can I do for you?'

Daphne opened the door, the tears coming harder now. She wanted to thank him, she had to thank him. She hadn't had a chance to earlier. But it was as Daphne took slow quiet steps down the hallway to the sitting room that she heard it. Something that in all her life she had not heard before, not like this.

"Nope. Your feet are too weird" Astoria said and a fit of giggles echoed around Daphne.

Step.

"My feet are not weird." Harry's voice this time and Astoria's giggling getting louder before breaking into actual laughter. The sound seemed to boom off of the walls.

Step.

"You look ridiculous!" Astoria said breathlessly and Harry's chuckle joined Astoria's in echoing around Daphne, and the cacophony seemed to be causing her world to shake.

Step.

A thump sound and then Astoria's laughter and Harry's reached deafening levels.

Step. Daphne was finally in the doorway and she saw it. Her sister's smiling face.

"Oh no! Balto, come back!" Astoria wheezed.

Daphne couldn't take another step.

The girl was trying to get Balto's attention while being unable to contain her laughter and the sight was so unfamiliar to Daphne. The easy happiness that the girl was displaying was such a foreign sight. There had been times, far too few, where Daphne would be able to joke with Astoria and hear her laugh but largely the House stayed quiet in fear that the wrath of Jackson Greengrass would be drawn. The picture before her now would never have been possible at Greengrass Manor, her father would have never allowed it. Harry just laughed from his position on the armchair, the noise of his movement drawing her attention for a moment. Seeing the boy was the final straw and the gravity of what Harry had almost sacrificed for Daphne and Astoria crashed down onto her and she couldn't move. Her arms wrapped around herself in a vain attempt to keep it together. Daphne had never thought that she would get to hear her sister laugh like this and Daphne knew, in that magical moment, that she couldn't thank him. Not enough, anyways.

Harry noticed her and he just jumped over the couch like it was nothing, Daphne wondered why he hadn't just gone around like a sane person instead of just being so very Harry-like and going the fastest, hardest route to help someone. And again, he was just Harry who, despite the concern clear on his face, despite the urgency of his movements and a clear desire to want to help her if he could, never once tried to take her autonomy away from her. That freedom of autonomy is what Harry had given Daphne, and it was not something Daphne had ever had before. That freedom to laugh, hard enough that you can't breathe. That was what Harry had given Astoria, someone he had never even met. How do you thank someone for that?

Even though she was still shaking Daphne took a step forward. She had to. She wanted to. She knew how she could thank him, at least a little bit. She rested her forehead against his chest. The heat of the contact surprised her. But she allowed it to flow over her. Despite her rules, in defiance of propriety and everything that Lord Greengrass had taught her she let herself be close to Harry. Daphne could thank him by trusting him. Harry's warm arms came up around her and that same sense of security flooded her senses and washed away the last of her strength. Her legs failed her but instead of dropping her the arms just squeezed tighter. Daphne felt herself being guided slowly, carefully, and she was able to step into the room.

***Break***

Harry looked around, where the heck was he supposed to bring her? Astoria luckily proved the saving grace of the day as she pulled the couch he had jumped over. She was able to move it enough that Harry and Daphne could walk by and get in front of it. Now the difficult part. The position that Daphne had put him in was awkward. He could tell that if he stopped holding her that she would fall.

_Sense Intention Skill has increased! It is now 32!_

'Not now, you stupid Game' Harry thought to himself. He looked around again. Astoria came close and leaned up to him with the intent to whisper something to him. Harry did the best he could to tilt his head over to her.

"Just lay down and hold her" Astoria whispered into his ear before she stepped away once more.

Okay. Lay down. Lay down? That was simple enough in theory but how in Merlin's name was Harry supposed to manage that in his current position? He thought for a moment before he came up with an idea. Harry moved his hand just enough and with a wordless, wandless Wingardium Leviosa Harry brought Daphne up off the floor just a few inches. The Levitation charm allowed Harry a small enough freedom of movement that he was able to get a leg onto the couch and maneuver into it without jostling Daphne or letting her go though the movement was awkward and required multiple steps. Harry released the spell once he was situated and allowed Daphne to settle. He had managed to situate them so that Daphne was mostly on top of him but it was the best he could do. Harry looked over at Astoria who nodded with a small thumbs up. Reassured, Harry floated one of the throw blankets that he had gotten on his birthday over to them and used it to cover both him and Daphne.

Astoria smiled, teary eyed, at the sight of her sister and knew what it meant for Daphne to take the chance she was taking. Astoria understood that Daphne, who was a careful, methodical, and guarded person, was, in her own way, saying thank you to Harry for saving her and giving Daphne the chance to be the person that Daphne wanted to be. Not the one that their father made them be. Astoria, even in her young years, could tell that this likely wouldn't be a regular occurrence for her sister and the real healing would take a long time, but Daphne was going to heal. Daphne was free now.

Astoria led Balto out of the room. There had been mention of a Library so it was time to see what sort of books Harry Potter bought.

***Break***

Daphne's tears didn't slow, but she was able to turn her head and rest it more comfortably against Harry's chest. The thump thump of Harry's heart was easily heard in her ear. This was a position that Daphne had never been in. Even with the intense love that Daphne had for Astoria, sharing a bed growing up, and the oh so rare hugs she had experienced, Daphne had maintained the habit of keeping anyone and everyone at as close to arm's distance as she could. Her father's upbringing had demanded it. Daphne had never heard a heartbeat this close up before and the sound was fascinating. Harry's arms had relaxed, but stayed wrapped around her and those warm arms coupled with the throw blanket wrapped around her made her very cozy. She finally relaxed her own arms and let them fall on either side of Harry.

Years of built up tension, of not allowing herself to allow such intimate comforting contact, it was hard to let go of. Harry's presence seemed to slowly melt that away though, and Daphne felt something that she had not felt before. Peace. There was no upcoming lesson. No dark figure, looming in the back of the mind, threatening to ruin any attempt Daphne took at happiness. There was only warmth, and the steady thump thump of Harry's heart.

The tears dried on her face. Yet Daphne just lay there. The warmth and security she felt, it was hard to let go of. Years of ingrained lessons, though, let Daphne know that she couldn't stay like this forever despite a small desire to. Harry, through all of this, had not yet said a word. For that Daphne was grateful. Words would rob the moment. But words were also needed so she took a breath.

"Thank you" Daphne said quietly, the words easily reaching the boy she was so close to. She expected words in return but instead Harry just squeezed her a little tighter for just a moment. The message was clear. You're welcome.

The thump thump continued before the vibrations of Harry's voice, another new experience for Daphne, carried the words, "Are you okay?"

Daphne nodded against his chest. In a burst of selfishness, an emotion she never let herself have, she buried her face closer to him for a moment. He smelled of … she wasn't sure what it was but it was a smell that she now associated with Harry. She took a deep breath and pushed herself up with her arms. They were face to face, Daphne's hair fell around Harry's blocking any sight except Harry's face. His eyes, so vivid green and intense, looked up at her and she was lost for just a moment. They sat there for a moment, a small moment, just looking at one another. But Harry didn't move or attempt to do anything, so Daphne moved on and pushed herself up onto her hands and knees above him and then one dainty foot touching the floor was enough to bring her up to a standing position.

***Break***

Daphne's eyes were bloodshot. That was the first thing Harry noticed. The girl's hair, that was almost never down, tickled his face with wavy golden lengths. If Harry was honest with himself, he could objectively admit that Daphne was gorgeous. The girl hovered over him for a moment longer, but Harry knew that to try anything, to act upon the flare of energy his stomach experienced in that moment, would change the nature of his and Daphne's relationship in a way that he did not want.

Sure, Harry felt a pang of loss at the warmth of the girl as she got up from the couch. And he knew that if he had kissed her in that moment, that Daphne probably would have let it happen. The level of trust that the girl had shown him, though, when she had put her forehead against his chest. That would have been forever lost. Harry understood what Daphne's closeness had meant. He had had the same internal battle when he had learned to accept hugs from Hermione, Ron, Molly Weasley. Touch, so previously associated for the 2 kindred spirits with the sensation of pain, was rarely welcomed. It was a big step for Daphne, and she had dove right in. Harry would never have been able to forgive himself if he had taken advantage of that trust.

Releasing a breath of tension Harry hadn't realized had been trapped, he sat up. Daphne stood over him, looking at him with eyes that were slowly losing the puffiness they had built up from the day's emotional events. Harry met those eyes. The situation they both now found themselves in was new. The entire 2 days had been a roller coaster of emotion with frequent derailments. Hidden, though, in the small moments throughout the day were signs of a new beginning. For Astoria as well. It was faint but it was there. Harry still wasn't entirely sure how it would play out. Albus's words rang in his mind once more. You will stumble. You will fall. And you will find times where you lose that path and the way is not so clear. You will never have all of the answers. You will never have all of the facts. The only thing you can do is decide for yourself what you are going to do and live with the choices you make.

"Thank you" Daphne said once again, her voice much stronger this time.

"You're welcome, Daphne" Harry said, and he meant it.

***Break***

Feeling refreshed, but still wary, Harry walked with Daphne to the Library. As much as he wished it weren't so, there was still some stuff to talk about. Harry had wanted, debated actually, on telling the girls what he had learned about Jackson Greengrass. Maybe some other time he finally decided, and in that decision felt a connection with Albus Dumbledore. Knowledge was power, and Dumbledore had taught young Harry that if one was to aim Power at another, no matter the reason or the form of that power, that it must be done with the utmost care. It shined a light onto the Headmaster's actions over the years that actually served to increase Harry's respect of the man.

Astoria was walking around the Library in awe. There were so many books! And the Library wasn't even full! Most of the books were normal, ones that she had seen in the Library back at her old thought had paused her for a moment. Old home. Already she was feeling a connection with her new living situation and the thought turned her walking into a skip. That was the Astoria that Harry and Daphne saw when they entered the Library, a happy, skipping, girl who danced among the shelves noting where the hidden jewels were amongst the stacks. Balto happily bounded with her, caught up in his human's excitement.

Seeing her sister and Harry, Astoria skipped over to them. Ending her movement with a happy jump Astoria stood before them and looked between the two expectantly.

"So, Harry, did you kiss Daphne?" Astoria asked simply.

Crickets would have been a concerto in the silence of the room at the question until… Harry facepalmed hard at the question, the hard slap of his hand against his face making the young girl laugh loudly. Daphne glared at her sister.

"No, Tori, we didn't kiss. What has gotten into you?" Daphne steamed, her face red at the question. Her little sister was such a brat sometimes, always asking when Daphne would get a boyfriend.

Harry's response was different though and he walked toward the girl with strong strides. Like an oncoming storm, Harry got larger to Astoria who's giggling stopped at the sight and the change in demeanor of the young Lord. Harry loomed over her, hand raising and Daphne almost flinched at the connections she was making with Harry's approach to the memories of her father walking up to Daphne in the same way. The hand came down and Daphne prepared herself for the sound of the slap. It didn't come.

"Awww, you're messing up my hair! Stop!" Astoria's whine made Daphne open her eyes that she hadn't realized she had closed to see Harry messing up Astoria's hair. Astoria glared at the boy, who just laughed at her, trying with her fingers to bring her hair back into the orderly style Astoria had had it in before.

"Meanie" Astoria whined once more when she gave up. Without a mirror it was hard to tell if she was doing more harm than good. Daphne recovered from the shock of the very different treatment Harry had given her sister, the boy in question walking over to a small reading nook. Of course Harry wouldn't harm Astoria, how could Daphne had thought that. The older sister came to Astoria's rescue and with practiced hands sorted the girl's hair.

***Break***

Harry led the girls over to a reading nook, a deep bay window set between the shelves that had benches on either side and high armrests. The benches were perfect for either sitting, or laying, but they all chose to sit. Harry stared out of the window for a moment not saying anything. The two girl's looked at him oddly, wondering what else Harry would share with them today. Finally Harry pulled something unrecognizable out of his pocket and looked at it. Astoria tried to crane her head to see what it was but couldn't tell, Harry's hands were too large to see the small object.

"I wanted to apologize to you both," Harry began, raising a hand when it looked like the girl's wanted to object. Harry took a deep breath and released it. "When I started that duel with your father, Lord Greengrass, it was to protect you both. It worked, but not in the way that I wanted. I never meant for you to lose your home and for that I am so, so sorry."

Harry took another breath, "The place probably had a lot of bad memories. I know that I would never want to set foot in my relative's house again when thinking about what I experienced there." Daphne wanted to reach out to Harry at his words, being one of the rare few who knew what he meant, Harry's continuing words brought Daphne's hand back into her lap.

"But. That place is and forever will be a part of who you two are. I have a memento from my relatives. A coat hanger," Harry chuckled to himself, the oddity of his memento striking him. The coat hanger was in his closet, the only tangible gift he had received from the Dursley's, and on it was Harry's favorite shirt. A sign to himself of how far he had come while reminding Harry of what he had to do to get there. His chuckling stopped and he looked at the picture of Allisandra in his hand.

"In the wake of the arrival of the Aurors, knowing that you were about to lose your home and being unable to stop it I grabbed this" Harry wandlessly unshrunk the portrait and the girls gasped loudly "before escaping with Daphne. I wish that I had been able to grab more. I'm sorry. It was a spur of the moment thing and I understand if it brings back bad memories. You can do what you like with it."

Harry set the portrait into the back of the nook, almost covering the window. Daphne's and Astoria's eyes were glued to it. Their mother's portrait, while not magical, was well painted and beautiful. Lord Greengrass would often stare at the painting for hours, unmoving. The girls had no memory of their mother, but when they looked at their father when he was looking at this photo it was one of the only times either girl could remember their father showing emotion outside of rage, coldness, or disdain. A deep, mysterious sadness. Daphne's hand reached out and ran her finger down her mother's face.

"Thank you, Harry" Daphne whispered. Astoria nodded as well but her eyes were locked onto the portrait.

"Of course. We can hang it wherever you would like, if that is your wish" Harry said, and Daphne's eyes broke away from the portrait to look at Harry. To offer to hang up the portrait, indeed for even finding time to save the portrait amidst the chaos of their flight from the manor, Harry had done them a great service.

"It is your manor, you decide where to hang it. Thank you for the offer but I couldn't impose on you like that" Daphne slipped back into her proper tone for a moment, the stiff mannerisms being her comfort zone. Astoria took her eyes away from the portrait as well, to grab her sister's hand and nod her agreement at the decision. It was Harry's home.

Harry thought for a moment and then stood up, picking up the portrait. When he walked away the two girls were quick to follow. Surprisingly he did not leave the Library. Instead Harry took out his wand. On the back wall were a string of empty bookshelves that rested between 2 windows. Harry Transfigured the center shelf to half its height and then floated the portrait up onto the wall. He hit it with a powerful Sticking Charm and looked up at his handiwork. Allisandra Greengrass looked down upon the three young people. Children, strangers still to one another, but somehow Fate had put them all into one place. If the portrait had been magical, Allisandra would have smiled down at the look of happiness that Astoria and Daphne had when looking up at the visage of their mother. And then Allisandra would have laughed when Harry's hand came up to ruffle Astoria's hair once more before dodging the swat the girl threw his way to run out of the Library laughing. Daphne ignored them to stare up at her mother still, captivated by the almost mirror-like appearance her mother had with her own features. Daphne didn't know what she would do, where she would end up. Right now, however, she was safe, happy, free. The manor was new but it had the makings to be a good home. Daphne smiled before a crash and resounding laughter Astoria from the other room brought her attention to the two rowdy people in the sitting room. Sighing, she stepped out of the room with a measured pace. Whatever foolishness the two were up to, Daphne would put a stop to it. There were rules, dammit, and a certain propriety that must be observed or they'd bring the whole manor down around them. She'd give them a piece of her mind.

*Fin*

A/N: Dammit. I wanted to keep going. I know it feels like I'm drawing this out but I'm really not trying to. Part 1 was Harry. Part 2 was Daphne/Astoria. Part 3 was Harry/Daphne/Astoria. It felt wrong to try and cram more into this chapter. Part 4, next chapter will have the public opinion, a splash of Ron, Hermione, the Weasleys. A lot less introspection and touchy-feely moments.

Review answers below where I'll try to answer them more completely since they're no longer cluttering the top of the page.

Chuysaurus: Thank you! I'm trying to make the character's feel alive, I hope I'm not trying too hard. Glad you're enjoying it!

TheGreatBubbaJ: Dude. Dude! You gotta stop dissecting my plots, you're making me feel predictable :P I hope this chapter met your high expectations. The funds will play a part in the next chapter, when Harry and the Greengrass daughters head to Diagon one last time. Stay tuned!

Reader of Harry Potter: I'm keeping them coming! Luna will be in the story at some point, but probably not until Hogwarts.

Adrian King1: The Greengrass daughters, as seen above, have a lot to think about and a lot still to get used to. I wanted them to have an opening up moment each, while still stressing that there will still be some level of strangeness. Harry has this sort of magnetic presence to those around him, that's what I'm stressing most in case that wasn't obvious, but the change they all experience from this new development isn't meant to seem instantaneous. The seeds were planted though and will be watered and tended carefully.

Firetemplar415: Muahahahaha! Daphne caught a big ol' eyeful of Harry that any teenage girl would think about for quite some time. I'm trying to make the most natural growth I can in my characters while still showing how fast Harry's growth is in comparison. Not quite ready for nudes, but getting there.

Navn Ukjent: Good notes! Harry has a taste for American cuisine, as shown in his birthday chapter with the hamburgers and such. I debated crepes for a moment, but it just didn't feel right with Dobby's interfering presence. There will be, maybe, some more traditional UK food in the future but honestly I'm American and don't have much experience with food from across the pond. Sticking to my strengths at the moment. Thank you for the review!

Frankieu: It ain't over yet. As you saw above. But we'll be stepping away from it a bit for a wider picture in the next chapter and get the story back on track.

7: No, the Gamer system wasn't demonized. Instead I was going for more of a harmonization between Harry and his Gamer traits. He'll be more mindful of the Gamer stuff while also stepping away from it in a few parts. He wants to live his life, and while the Gamer stuff can help him with that Harry doesn't want to let it control him.

Metadork: Some great stuff in this review. Thank you for your remarks! Sitcom/romcom definitely suit some parts of what I'm going for. It's a Game but it's also Life for Harry and he came to that realization finally. I will go ahead and drop spoilers, this is probably not going to be a harem fic. Instead Harry will probably date around a bit, try new things and experience the life that he didn't get to before. Also Tracey may come back as a friend, but right now she's gotten the boot. Daphne hasn't made her mind up yet, but Harry knows that romantically he and Tracey are D.O.N.E.

Guest: Whoever you are, thank you for the review! Harry didn't put stasis charms on the food simply because he didn't want to. He has no real need to eat but also enjoys the act and doesn't want to make it monotonous. So instead of saving for future meals he simply just ate a butt-ton of food. It's not like he has to worry about it going to his thighs, the Game controls that.

Slocuautla: Thank you for the review! And Healing Charms, to answer your question. Or some other excuse if Daphne brings it up. Luckily she was more focused… elsewhere and hasn't quite made the connection yet. I only know my own personal struggles with abuse. Wizards have unique and different tools at their disposal though as seen with the Pensieve and actually have a whole branch of magic around the Mind Arts. That is going to play a big role in the speed of their separate recoveries. As far as pairing Harry and Daphne, you get to see some of the attraction they both have for another war with their new situation. There's definitely something there but it probably won't play a role for a while as the two will need to build up trust for one another and get over their unique ordeals that led them to their new lots in life. Sirius is coming, and will play a large part in Harry's life for sure. But as I've shown, mental illnesses and abuse definitely show up in my characters and Sirius? He's gonna have a lot to deal with.

Beccasullivanwrites1: Glad you like it! You inspired the creation of the first scene, building upon some of the interplay between Dobby and Harry. Slowly we're gonna get to see the whole House come together in some sort of weird yet functional family and we got to see the first signs of it in this chapter.

Polydicta: Definitely. Dobby had immense respect for Harry, but also trust and love. He's not afraid to push Harry a little bit which is something Dobby would never have done with the Malfoys.

Dibbley: I teared up a bit at this review. I love seeing that what I'm going for, that human interaction in the face of how the Gamer life could honestly be abused or used poorly and thus ruin Harry. I honestly think you'll really have enjoyed this chapter but probably not as much as I enjoyed this review. I'll admit that when I started this fic Dumbledore was going to be that punching bag. But I've been writing these chapters back to back and growing these characters from the ground up especially in the last few chapters. The first 4-5 chapters were Gamer focused. The next 4-5? Life focused. And the last 5? How that has come together for Harry and what he will do for it all. Dumbledore presented too good of an opportunity to present a wise old man, flawed, but one who had learned hard hard lessons through his life but also still was able and willing to grow. I like a good harem fic, but I really wanted to bring Harry into his own first and really explore his attractions as they come along. We'll see where it leads but again thank you for this review!

'Til next time!


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: And here we are. It has really come together. But despite the desire Harry has for the best summer of his life to continue, despite the ups and downs, all Summers must end. But with their end comes Hogwarts. Choo choo motherfuckers, Harry is gonna storm that castle.

And away we go!

Chapter 16: Fallout Part 4. Settling In and the Final Days of Summer.

Harry dodged the swipe from Astoria once more. She couldn't catch him, he was much too quick and sure on his feet. Harry stuck his tongue out and with a quick step-step, ruffled Astoria's hair again. Astoria growled in frustration, choosing to go with a ranged approach now and throwing the first pillow she could reach at the cheeky boy.

"That'll teach you to tease me!" Harry taunted, as he knocked the pillow out of the air with one of his own. Astoria threw another and it too was blocked. Harry idly doubted that this is what the Hufflepuffs had intended when they gifted the pillows and blankets to him but he couldn't deny the fun he was having.

"Haha!" Harry cheered as yet another pillow was blocked. It was a ploy though and in the moment that he had lost vision of the girl she had ducked behind the couch to sneak around and attack from a new direction. Harry grunted as the pillow smacked his face and he stumbled slightly. He bumped into a potted plant on an end table and it fell to the floor with a crash, breaking. Astoria laughed at her triumph and her assault doubled. Harry dodged and parried, throwing back pillows of his own in an all out war with the young girl. Both of them were laughing when Daphne stepped into the room.

"What in Merlin's name is going on in here? Stop it this instant!" Daphne's cool and commanding voice cut through the boisterous activity and Harry and Astoria both froze. Harry was standing on the couch, having chosen the higher ground to try and break Astoria's defenses from where she had hastily built a pillow fort behind one of the armchairs. Dirt was everywhere from the broken potted plant and not a single pillow was where it had started.

Daphne cocked an eyebrow at Harry and Astoria, sending a 'you know better than this' look that was not misunderstood. "Dolly! Dobby!"

The two Elves popped into the room and gasped at the mess. "I order you NOT to clean this up. Harry and Astoria felt fit to make this mess so they can clean it up, with no magical assistance. Am I understood?"

Daphne was clearly talking to the Elves but the message was directed to Harry and Astoria. Behave yourselves like the Lord and young lady that you are, or face my wrath. Harry gulped. He knew he could override the order. But the sharp look that Daphne was sending him had an almost 'Try your luck, Potter' vibe that he picked up loud and clear. Daphne waited for the Elves to nod their heads at the order when it was clear Harry wasn't going to fight it. Then she walked out of the room. Harry climbed down from the couch and started to put the pillows back in order. Astoria broke out from under her pillow fort and went to help him.

Harry placed a pillow onto the armchair. Did it go there? Maybe.

Everything was silent until Astoria hit Harry over the head with a pillow, saying in a hushed tone "Look what you did, stupid"

"Stupid?" Harry hit her back with a pillow he had been about to put on one of the couch, replying in the same tone "You started it!"

Astoria hit him again, "No I didn't! You did"

"Stop that!" Daphne's voice echoed down the stairs. How had she known?

Astoria and Harry called a truce and started sweeping up the dirt from the potted plant.

***Break***

Cornelius Fudge was a proud man. Not too smart, kind of politically savvy, honestly a bit of a pushover if the bribe was right, but proud. So when the Special Edition of the Daily Prophet made it onto his desk he was rightfully proud. After Harry's Press Conference Cornelius had seen reports of the boy all over the various news outlets. Everyone wanted a piece of the boy. Requests for interviews had been ignored. Attempts to visit the boy's home had been thwarted. Nothing seemed able to bring the boy out into the public's eye. Then the boy went and did this. Challenged a Lord of the Wizengamot, a member of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, and won in such a spectacular way.

Cornelius was supposed to be the one, dammit. The one who took young Harry under his wing, confidante and mentor. Instead the boy amazed Wizarding Britain with dazzling skill and selfless chivalry. Who didn't love the story of a young Hero standing up for good? Lord Greengrass had blundered when the man had made such a public spectacle. And on one of Diagon Alley's most crowded days. The boy, the victor, had shown the magical citizens exactly what they wanted out of the Boy-Who-Lived. A Hero of Justice. So Cornelius had commissioned Rita Skeeter to put out a Special Edition of the Prophet. The woman's talents for taking what would have been a glorious moment for Harry Potter and tarnishing it were incredible. The pudgy man had thought that that would be enough to draw Harry out, pleading for Cornelius to make it right. But no, it had not.

***Break***

Harry led the girl's out the front door, finally giving them the grand tour. They had seen bits and pieces but Harry wanted them to know where they were living now and what sort of place Potter Manor truly was.. He decided to start outside.

"There's the fountain, the Gryphon is a symbol for House Potter featured on the Coat of Arms. The hedges have some benches throughout, and are holly bushes so they bloom in spring and early summer if you want to walk the gardens at any point. The 14 marble pillars are in homage to the past generations since the Potter family was formed." Astoria took a moment to stick her hand in the fountain water, the sparkling spray surprisingly cold. She rushed back as Harry took them to the left and around the House.

"Over here is the Quidditch Pitch, my personal indulgence. Daphne you've already seen it but I'm not sure how much flying you do Astoria" Harry prompted the younger girl, who looked away for a moment.

"I've never been on a broom honestly…" She lamented the lost opportunities her upbringing and sickness brought onto her. Harry glanced at Daphne who declined to comment but was looking at her sister with a sad look.

"Well, if you're up for it, I'm sure we can find time for a lesson or two. There's also the Flying Class for first years that should let you know whether you enjoy it or not" Harry said casually as he walked.

Astoria gasped and her head whipped around to look at him, "You'd let me fly?" she asked in disbelief.

"Sure, why not?" Harry asked, confused.

"I… I don't know" Astoria responded lamely, and looked down again. Harry hand patted her on the shoulder in understanding and they continued walking. Harry picked up where he left off.

"The shed there has some Nimbus 2001s, but if you're looking to try out flying we can pick up a Cleansweep or an easier model for first-timers when we go to Diagon." Harry ignored Astoria's look of surprise at the idea of Harry buying her a broom, instead bringing them around to the back of the house. Here he stopped and looked over his grounds. Man, he loved this place.

He took a deep breath of the fresh air. It was around 5 PM, so the day was a little later but the air was cooling down nicely and some stubborn summer flowers were throwing their scent into the light wind. "Down the way there is my Forge and Tannery"

At this, both girls were confused. Daphne had noted the presence of the buildings during the party but hadn't gone to observe what they were at any point and Harry hadn't bothered to tell anyone. The statement needed a comment though, and it came from Astoria, "Why do you have a Forge and what is a Tannery?"

Harry chuckled, knowing that his hobbies probably looked strange to most wizards and witches. "I have them both because it's fun, I enjoy them. And a Tannery is used to treat animal hides and turn it into leather."

Astoria looked at him like he was crazy. Forging was fun? Every story book she had read that had a forge usually involved the blacksmith being this big, burly, brute who had crazy strength from the strenuous activity. No book described it as fun. Daphne too, had a look in her eyes. Her mind was on the arms that had wrapped around her earlier. Was blacksmithing what had given Harry such definition in his arms?

Deciding to press on Harry continued walking, "Down there is the dock. Do try to be safe if you go swimming, get Dobby or Dolly to keep an eye out. The boat there is the Jet" The name they had given the boat during the birthday party had stuck and Harry had had it painted onto the side as if the small boat was some sort of fancy vessel, "If you take it out onto the water, just be sure to tie it back up when you're done or get Dobby to help you."

"Over there is my mechanic's shed" Harry looked at the building critically. It was a hideous pink color. Damn it Dobby.

"Why is it pink? And what is a mechnick." Astoria asked as she took in the, admittedly ugly, building.

Harry sighed. He knew why it was pink. Because Dobby decided that having Daphne walk in on him was not enough payback for kicking the Elf out of the kitchen. Harry knew he should have specified the color when he had told Dobby to paint it.

"It's pink because Dobby thinks he's a funny Elf who is BANNED FROM THE KITCHEN UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE" Harry yelled to the house. There was a faint cry of outrage from inside.

Harry pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head and praying for the patience to put up with Dobby sometimes. Astoria giggled at the image.

"Anyways, pink travesty put aside for now. A mechanic is a term for a Muggle who fixes or maintains Muggle machinery" Harry said, using completely foreign words for the two girls.

"Mah-Sheen-ary" Astoria tried out the weird word. "What's that?"

Deciding that the best way to teach them was to show them. He still had a work-in-progress project in there anyways "I'll show you. Come on"

They walked to the shed where Harry pulled a key out of thin air and opened the padlock. The sliding door was pushed, and revealed… a big lump of metal. Or at least that's what it looked like to Daphne and Astoria.

"What the heck is that thing?" Astoria asked as she walked up to it. It was larger than her upper body, suspended by chains, and had a staggering amount of pieces to look at, each one having some unknown and alien purpose.

"That is an engine. It uses petrol to propel vehicles for muggles. I want to tune it up and try out different ways for charms to be applied to it." Harry said, looking at the engine. It had been one of his earlier purchases but he hadn't yet had a chance to do much with it. Maybe next summer.

"It uses a pet troll? How?" Again Astoria's inquisitive nature showed itself. She was learning so much! To think Muggles used Trolls for transportation! How fascinating.

Harry knew if he kept talking about it, admittedly not knowing much himself, the talk could last for hours with Astoria's penchant for questions. Instead he stepped over to the workbench and grabbed 2 books. One was a manual for the engine, showing the construction and how the pieces fit together. The other was a dictionary of sorts that explained some of the terminology of mechanical work. He flipped through the dictionary and found petrol before handing the open book as well as the other book underneath to Astoria who immediately started reading while they walked. Daphne smiled at Harry, understanding at sometimes being unable to keep up with Astoria's curiosity was apparent on the older girl's face.

"You read those, and we can talk more about it later. Let's head inside though. We still need to pick what rooms you 2 want." Harry said as he realized that despite being in the home for over 24 hours the 2 girls had still not actually 'moved in'.

***Break***

"This one! This one!" Astoria cried out. She had run up and down the hallway looking at all the rooms before coming to one at the far end of the house, next to Harry's own Master Bedroom. It was different from the rest, though each room was a little unique in the construction, but this one was immediately her favorite. The windows were large and dominated the walls, giving the room a bright natural lighting. The wall opposite the door was also curved so it afforded a gorgeous view of the lake and quidditch pitch as well as the streams in the distance.

Daphne stepped into the room at her sister's cry and was immediately jealous. Not in a way that would have made the older girl try and stop her sister from having the room but because she had to admit the view was quite nice. Harry nodded, he could see why the girl wanted the room. It didn't stand up to his Master Bedroom but it was larger than most of the other rooms.

"Great. Dolly! Dobby! Let's get Astoria's clothes and things set up in the room. Give the room a good once over, and" Harry turned to the girl who was almost pressing her face into the glass of the windows "What color do you want?"

Astoria turned to Harry. "Color? What do you mean?"

Harry was reminded of the Greengrass manor. Everything had been white. Every single wall. Did that mean that even the rooms upstairs were white? He was confused, but Daphne interjected, "Father always said that color was a distraction. He firmly maintained that the rooms remain white"

What? Harry thought to himself. No paint? No personalization? That certainly fit the image Harry had of the man. He turned to Astoria suddenly understanding. All of his guest bedrooms were white as well, along with all of the rooms the girl had seen so far, having no real need for anything else since they were impersonal and Harry hadn't felt the need yet. But now this room was Astoria's and would therefore be a reflection of the girl but she obviously didn't understand that.

"Come on, I want to show you something" Harry again chose the showing over the teaching route. He stepped out of the room and opened the door to his left, to his own room. Daphne blushed slightly, remembering the sight from that morning. It went unnoticed. Astoria bounded after him, clearly curious.

"Oh wow!" Astoria cry came, and drew Daphne into the Master Bedroom as well.

The room was large, larger even than Astoria's chosen one. It was dimmer, with less windows, but it was painted a warm crimson color with thin gold stripes. Forever the Gryffindor Daphne thought to herself. The bedspread of the large 4 poster bed was a thick comforter that was also red and gold. The carpet was plusher than the carpet in the hallway, and Daphne probably would have wanted to dig her toes into it if she wasn't wearing proper house slippers.

"This is so cool!" Astoria noted the large terrarium where Kijani was basking under a glowing red rune. The terrarium was a 300 gallon tank set into the wall and was filled with shrubbery and branches for the young Boomslang to move around in. Harry had offered for the snake to have free reign of the yard but the Boomslang had enjoyed the comfort given to him by having his own environment away from pesky birds of prey.

"Do you like snakes?" Harry asked as he stepped up to join the girl. There was a slot on the wall where Harry could reach in when he wanted to and he pulled Kijani out, the snake giving only a small protest to Harry at being disturbed from his basking. Harry held the snake up and rubbed him under the chin the way Kijani liked as an apology.

"I don't know, I've never held one," Astoria admitted, looking at the snake warily. Daphne almost protested at Harry's clear intention to hand her sister an extremely venomous snake before reminding herself that Harry could talk to the animals and wouldn't let anything happen to Astoria. His next words reflected that.

"Do you want to hold him? He won't bite. Also he says that you have really pretty hair" Harry softly stroked the snake's scales.

"You can speak to snakes?" Astoria asked, wondering what that was like.

"You didn't know? Yes, I'm a Parseltongue. Kijani here is my familiar" Harry's hands danced through the air as he let Kijani slither through them, the act a practiced dance with the 2.

"Sure, I'll hold him" Astoria said once her courage built up enough to try. Harry helped her hold the now 2 foot snake properly and wrapped the tail lightly around the girl's wrist, taking care both for Astoria's and Kijani's sake.

"Wow…" Astoria breathed as she observed the snake up close. Kijani's scales looked green and black at first glance but there was just a hint of blue around the edges. "You're so pretty"

Kijani preened under the praise, and wiggled slightly making the girl jump a bit. Carefully, Astoria's fingers ran down the snakes spine, feeling the scales. "Wow…" Astoria said once more at how surprisingly soft the scales were.

After a moment, she handed the snake back to Harry who put Kijani back under the Heat rune. The snake curled up almost instantly and resumed the basking that they had interrupted.

"Can you thank him for me?" Astoria asked, a little curious what Parseltongue sounded like.

"You sure? I've been told that Parseltongue can sound a bit… unsettling" Harry warned her. She nodded.

Harry's hissing still made Astoria jump a bit, but it was also very fascinating. "Neat!" she exclaimed.

Harry grinned in response and then gestured around the room, "So this is my room, obviously. I chose red and gold because Gryffindors rule and" Harry made Daphne jump as well by nudging the quiet girl with his foot, "Slytherins drool."

"Slytherin is the better house and you know it," Daphne responded coolly.

"In your dreams." Harry joked before continuing, missing Astoria's smile at the exchange, "Now, you can choose any colors you want for your rooms. Just try to be reasonable or Dobby might paint it something else behind your back"

Both girls this time giggled at the reminder of the pink shed before Astoria finally decided, "Blue… and… purple."

"Blue and purple, huh? I think we can work with that." Harry nodded to Dobby who popped away.

They walked out of the room and Daphne turned left, to the room opposite Astoria's. The room had a bit more lighting, and Daphne cast a critical eye around. She was tempted by the room, as it was close to Astoria's and also, she admitted only to herself, Harry's. East facing like she preferred, but not too many windows. It would do.

"I'll take this one" Daphne stated, walking further into it. The closet was an okay size when Daphne walked into it but she would have preferred bigger. Harry must have noticed her expression because he stepped into the admittedly small room with her.

Daphne's eyes got huge, he was so close! But Harry didn't seem to notice as his wand waved around and the room expanded a few feet.

_Charms Skill has increased! It is now 57!_

Harry turned to Daphne, only just now realizing they were about a foot apart. He cleared his throat and ignored the faint vanilla of Daphne's perfume. "Is that big enough? You looked like you weren't happy with it"

Daphne used the extra room to take a small step back, and shot a warning look at Astoria who was peeking into the closet with a Chesire cat grin.

"Maybe 3 more feet that way. And another foot this way" Daphne indicated, and Harry's wand waved confidently in the air. Daphne was always impressed with how Harry looked when he cast, like he was absolutely sure what he wanted to do and how he wanted to do it. The room expanded once more and with a little more tweaking they got it to where Daphne wanted it.

"Me next!" Astoria grabbed Harry by the hand and pulled the boy into her room, where she only too happily squeezed into her own closet with him. Astoria couldn't let Daphne have all the fun, now could she?

***Break***

Harry led them back downstairs to finish up the tour of the house, showing an excited Astoria the pool. It took both Harry and Daphne a full minute to convince the girl, who didn't even know how to swim, not to jump into the water fully clothed. From there it was Daphne's turn to be interested as they inspected the Loom room, another area of his house that Harry had spent far too little time in in favor of other things. Daphne, who counted cross-stitching as a genuine hobby, was intrigued by the idea of more serious threadwork and promised to herself to come back to the room and some point and inspect it more closely.

Then they went into the basement that Daphne had no idea was even part of the house, and checked out the Dueling Room.

"Oooo" Astoria said as she looked around. The room was maybe 40 feet, with windows alongside the wall. Harry had expanded the room a lot once his Charm Skill allowed for the spell, and had added a small section to the room where a training dummy resided next to a wall of wooden practice swords for Harry to use.

"This place is neat. You practice spells here?" Astoria asked from where she was waving around one of the wooden swords. Daphne plucked the sword from the girl's hands, fearing injury, and Astoria pouted.

"Of course. That wall, there with the targets, is charmed to absorb spells and feed the wards, as long as I don't use anything too powerful." Harry walked around the room, thinking of Madeline who knew that Harry was heading off to boarding school soon. He was going to miss their morning runs during term.

"Can I see?" Astoria asked, curious. She hadn't seen much magic yet in her life, typically only the spells involved in her treatment along with minor stuff her father had done in his daily life.

Harry debated for a moment before shrugging, deciding there was no harm in it. "Sure. You two stand there."

Daphne was interested as well, and joined Astoria in the spot that Harry had directed them to. Harry took a deep breath, wand in hand. He set the targets to move, wowing Astoria once more, before settling into his preferred stance. Then like a pouncing lion Harry burst into movement, deciding to go all out which he hadn't had a chance to since the duel and practically doubling his Dueling Skill. Impedimenta, Expelliarmus, Diffindo, Flipendo, Incendio, Aquamenti, every spell that Harry had in his arsenal, minus the Dark ones, was thrown from Harry's wand with terrifying speed. And the targets glowed gold, as they were charmed to do when the bull's eye was hit. Getting swept up in the moment, thrilled by his own progress, Harry wandlessly summoned one of the wooden swords from the wall, catching it with ease. Harry whipped the sword through the air striking at imagined enemies as he took confident steps down the platform toward the wall, dance-like in his movements and wand still firing spells. Both hands were a blur of independent yet coordinated movement until finally Harry reached the end of the platform where he whisked the wand away with a thought, brought the sword over his head with both hands, and threw it end over end. The sword whistled through the air as Harry hopped off the end of the platform. Despite being a wooden sword he had thrown it with all of his considerable might and watched, satisfied, as it embedded itself in the center of the furthest target.

Harry let out a sigh of satisfaction, grinning to himself at how far he had come, and turned towards the girls. Astoria was open-mouthed staring at Harry. Daphne was more proper than that but still was wide-eyed and impressed. Harry was definitely a force to be reckoned with and it was clear why her father had lost to the young Lord.

"That was bloody wicked!" Astoria laughed.

"Tori! Language!" Daphne chided, but couldn't deny the truth of Astoria's words.

Harry grinned confidently as he walked up to them, not even winded Daphne noted. "Thank you Astoria"

Daphne shot Harry a warning look at indulging improper language and was shocked when the boy stuck his tongue out at her, still high on endorphins from his exertion. Astoria giggled and stepped next to Harry and also stuck her tongue out.

Scoffing at their improper behavior, she walked gracefully from the room nose in the air. Harry and Astoria discretely shared a high five and followed the older girl. They checked out the Potion Lab next, the only other room in the basement besides the wine-cellar neither of which interested the girls much.

***Break***

The trio had eaten a wonderful dinner after the tour, prepared by Harry much to Dobby's chagrin who couldn't even enter the kitchen with Harry's ban order in place. Harry had chosen to go with a roast, with baked potatoes and asparagus and a fresh salad with a raspberry vinaigrette Harry whipped up easily. They had all retired to their rooms which were beginning to show signs of personality from them all, Daphne going with a green and silver combination in homage to Slytherin and to annoy Harry, just a bit.

Now they were once again in the breakfast nook watching Harry goof off in the kitchen. Astoria laughed and Daphne smiled faintly at Harry who was dazzling them by juggling eggs. Badly. Luckily he was doing it over the flat top so would just vanish the shell when he missed one. The sizzling eggs were accompanying toast, bacon, and a heavy helping of cheese. Those sandwiches for Harry and Astoria, the girl having a much bigger appetite than her small frame let on. For Daphne Harry flipped a crepe skillfully, which he then filled with a light coating of cream cheese and blueberries, strawberries, and rolled up. Over the top and at Daphne's nod of permission he did a light dusting of powdered sugar.

Astoria loved Harry's cooking, so different from what she was used to. She had chosen breakfast sandwiches because that was what Dolly always made for her, but Harry's were sooo much better. Sorry Dolly. Balto snacked happily on his breakfast, Harry having made the dog some pancakes with more dog-friendly ingredients.

Today was the day, Astoria thought to herself. They were going to Diagon Alley just after breakfast. Harry and Daphne had chosen the earlier hour in the hopes that the Alley wouldn't be quite so crowded. They all finished up their respective breakfasts and Harry let Balto out into the backyard where he had Dobby working diligently on a doghouse. The pooch was well-trained enough to not run away, and his wards ensured that nothing the dog couldn't handle would make its way onto the grounds. Astoria gave Balto a big kiss on the happy dog's forehead before letting Balto bolt towards the lake. Water! They both watched just long enough to laugh as Balto took a running jump off of the dock and made a loud splash.

***Break***

Astoria looked around in wonder. There was so much to see! So many people! Noises, smells, new and foreign sights. All of it battled to win the girl's attention and it was only Daphne's firm grip of her hand that kept the fascinated girl from running off.

"Where to first? Robes? Wands? Potions materials?" Harry asked as his eyes looked around for danger or other worrisome things. The Alley wasn't packed, but it was busy and it was also his first public appearance since the duel.

"Robes, I should think," Daphne said. It was customary to leave the wand for last and Tori deserved the full observance of the traditional First Year Diagon trip.

Harry nodded and led them through the crowd. Daphne kept close behind with Astoria, so as not to get bumped into or separated. They soon made it to Twilfitt and Tattings and stepped inside. Daphne looked around both quizzically and worriedly, hand on her coin purse. She had thought they were going to Madam Malkin's, and worried at the budget increase.

Harry talked for a moment with Matron Twilfitt and soon Astoria was up on the small stage in front of the mirrors. Harry then walked over to Daphne who had her coin purse out and was counting. The girl had a frustrated look on her face when Harry's hand was gently placed on top of her own.

"Daphne." Was all Harry said, and she looked up slightly angry.

"I don't have enough for this, why aren't we at Madam Malkin's?" Daphne hissed at him, embarrassed at herself.

"You're not paying," Harry said gently.

"What? I always pay for my and Astoria's clothes." Daphne said, confused. Then it hit her who she was with. "Oh…"

Harry nodded at the girl, who had forgotten that Harry was now their Head of House. He was also very clearly not Lord Greengrass, who had made Daphne spend her mother's inheritance her entire young life in an attempt to run the money out and make Daphne even more beholden to the man. It was an unfamiliar feeling, being provided for financially, and the kindness of the gesture warred against Daphne's fierce independence.

"But…" Daphne started to say.

"You're not paying." Harry repeated, "And that's just all there is to it."

Daphne nodded. Then she noticed Harry's hand which was still on Daphne's own and pulled her's away, clearing her throat. If she wasn't going to pay she was going to at least help the girl choose the best cuts. Daphne walked away to join Astoria, hiding her slight blush at her hand's lingering warmth from Harry's contact. Harry shook his head, and walked over as well.

***Break***

With Astoria now outfitted with a few school robes, as well as a few new things the girl had picked out when Harry had let her have free reign in the store, they walked to Flourish and Blott's and the first sign of trouble in the day.

It was as they were breaking through a large cluster of people, that Harry saw them. Oiled, blonde hair. Matching sneers at being surrounded by peasants and filth. Lucius and Draco Malfoy made their disdain for the mundanes around them clear. Harry audibly groaned at the sight of them, but prayed that his new hair would still be unfamiliar enough to let them slip by. But Draco was a Slytherin, and well acquainted with his yearmates, and so did not miss the appearance of Daphne Greengrass.

"Oi! Greengrass! Didn't expect to see you so soon! I thought you'd still be stuck in Potter's bed!" Draco called out, laughing at his own joke. Lucius merely watched, eyes cold, and observed the girl that Draco had drawn attention to. Proper clothes, good posture, pleasing features. Lucius had seen her many times at the yearly galas but Lord Greengrass had declined every marriage contract Lucius has presented the man, Lucius trying to secure the girl for his Draco. Now she was soiled by the Half-Blood Potter. Worthless.

Daphne was well-used to Draco's vulgarities and aimed a disdainful, detached look at the boy, "Heir Malfoy so good to see you well. I had worried that Crabbe and Goyle had ruined you this summer, growing boys and all that"

Harry couldn't help it, he guffawed at the crude yet refined insult which drew the attention of the Malfoys. "Think something's funny do you Potter? I almost didn't recognize you with that red hair. Your little Weasley tag-alongs finally adopt you?" Draco turned his ire to his nemesis, face aflame at the words of the elder Greengrass daughter.

Astoria watched in rapt fascination, having never heard her sister use such language or innuendo before. Who was this pompous hot-head?

"That's Lord Potter to you, Heir Malfoy" Harry said clearly, any humor he had from Daphne's insult of the boy long gone once Draco insulted the Weasleys.

"Oh? Lord Potter? Greengrass has you trained well, I see. My apologies, _Lord _Potter" Draco dipped into a low, mocking bow to match his tone.

Lucius took the moment to chime in with a greeting, his upbringing making his greeting and accompanying miniscule bow short and crisp but his disdain was still obvious. "Lord Potter, Heir Greengrass."

In the face of Lucius' propriety Harry took a small bow, and Daphne a curtsy. They faced off for a moment, a small crowd gathering around when people caught the name Lord Potter.

"If you'll excuse us," Harry politely said, wanting to avoid a scene, and walked toward the bookstore with Daphne and Astoria.

Draco's desire to have the last word and showboat to a crowd sparked the need to speak up once more. Laughing, the boy mocked, "Leaving so soon, Lord Potter? I was hoping you'd share some of your good fortune with the rest of us, you know, pass her around a bit"

Harry froze at the callous taunt. Pass her around a bit? In a fury, Harry whirled around. Daphne's hand settled on his arm, though, and Daphne shook her head. Draco Malfoy was hardly worth the effort.

Astoria though, had no such qualms, and walked right up to the boy before smacking Draco across the face. Furiously, Astoria pointed a finger at Draco. "You watch your mouth!"

Draco appeared shocked at being assaulted by the tiny girl. His hand held his face where her handprint slowly started showing up with a bright red. Lucius stared down at Astoria, enraged, and he started to reach down at her, punishment clear in his eyes.

Harry, however, showed up behind the girl and placed his hands on Astoria's shoulders. "Watch yourself, Lord Malfoy," he warned.

Lucius withdrew the hand. Silver eyes faced green, and a small battle of wills was fought. Lucius clearly wanted to punish Astoria for her actions, while Harry wanted to punish Draco for his words. The choices Harry was presenting for Lord Malfoy were clear. Either walk away now, or Harry would be fighting a second duel.

Forever one to favor discretion, Lucius placed a hand on Draco's shoulder. "Come, Draco. Our business here is done." and they walked past Harry.

Harry led Astoria over to Daphne, hands still on her shoulders as the girl shook in rage. "I don't like that brat." She said heatedly and Harry chuckled.

"Neither do I," Harry said, letting Daphne once more take charge of Astoria.

The crowd dispersed once they realized that Harry wouldn't be fighting today, and the bookstore quickly restored the girl's positive attitude as she led Daphne all over the store. She had her schoolbooks as well as a few others together in less time than Harry had thought, and Harry stopped chatting with the friendly store owner long enough to pay the man.

Malfoys were long forgotten for the girl as they left the bookstore and Harry and Daphne watched her carefully as the girl ran ahead to check out Quality Quidditch Supplies where the window was featuring, yet again, a Firebolt.

"Are you okay? Malfoy's an ass on a good day." Harry asked Daphne, who smiled at his checking in and nodded.

The sight of the broom reminded Astoria of Harry's offer to teach her, and she turned around to aim puppy-dog eyes at Harry. "Can I get one?"

Harry laughed as he walked up to Astoria with his long strides, "A Firebolt? No. Absolutely not. That's way too advanced for someone who hasn't even flown yet, not to mention expensive. I have 14 Nimbus's and 1 Firebolt and I'll let you guess which cost more. Come on, let's get you a… Cleansweep 6" Harry's arm went around the small girl's shoulders easily and he led Astoria into the store.

Daphne smiled at the wholesome exchange, walking a little faster to catch up with them and entering the store as well. She knew that Harry probably was exaggerating a bit at the price, but she appreciated that while he was willing to provide for them, even springing for nice clothes for Astoria which was a rarity for the young girl who had gotten many of Daphne's hand-me-downs, he wasn't going to be buying them every little thing they asked for. She watched Harry as the boy led Astoria around the store, details about the various models easily flowing forth at Astoria's many questions. They eventually decided on a Cleansweep 4 and a Cleansweep 7. One to learn on, one to grow into. Sturdy models, but not the nicest ones on offer.

With that they exited the broomstore and headed to the Apothecary. Harry went in alone with Astoria, as Daphne didn't want to see the place again. Harry understood and left the girl to sit on the bench outside the store.

It was here that Daphne saw her. Tracey. The girl was walking towards Daphne, headed to the Apothecary alongside her father, Lord Davis. A rush of thoughts went through Daphne's head. It took the girl but a moment to notice Daphne sitting there in front of the Apothecary and Tracey froze. Then in a rush, Tracey made her way over to Daphne.

"Daph!" Tracey cried, relieved to see her friend.

She stopped, just in front of Daphne, at Daphne's words, "Heir Davis."

Tears tickled Tracey's eyes at the polite greeting. "I see that you are in good health. That's great!" Tracey pressed on.

Daphne nodded stiffly, "Thank you. Lord Potter has been most gracious to us in his treatment of Astoria and I thus far."

Tracey nodded at the words, unsure of what to say. Lord Davis finally caught up to his daughter. "Daphne! So great to see you so well." The man started.

The bell above the door of the Apothecary tinkled, announcing the departure of Harry and Astoria. "Those beetle eyes were so gross! We have to use those?" Astoria spoke, clearly continuing a conversation they had been having inside.

Harry's chuckle died in his throat as he pulled up short at the sight of Tracey and Lord Davis. A range of emotions played over his face for a split second before settling into an easy, if slightly empty, grin. "Lord Davis, I see you are still in good health since I last saw you. Heir Davis, a pleasure" Harry bowed slightly.

Tracey's eyes watered as her best friend and ex-boyfriend stood in front of her, Daphne having risen and coming to her sister's side. The hurt was just under the surface for them but they were keeping it together. She would too. "Lord Potter, a pleasure to see you as well." She lied.

Astoria looked up at Tracey with an odd look. The young girl was remembering the trip into the Pensieve, and seeing Tracey walk out on Harry like that. But Tracey was also Astoria's closest thing to a friend besides Daphne, having interacted with the older girl on multiple occasions and even gossiping about Harry not so long ago. Astoria curtsied with Daphne politely, right foot behind her left, knees bent just so, just like Daphne had taught her.

"Astoria, so lovely to see you. You must be so excited for your First Year at Hogwarts. Lord Potter, a pleasure, I hope these 2 hadn't been too much trouble for you" Lord Davis stated, bowing to both the girls, and Harry, at their polite greeting. The father placed a comforting hand on the daughter's shoulder.

"None at all, Lord Davis. We were just on our way to pick up Astoria's wand" Harry replied evenly.

"Oh, such an exciting moment! Well I won't keep you any longer" Lord Davis politely excused them and the two groups started to walk past one another.

They almost made it, until Tracey's hand shot out and grabbed Daphne's, pulling the blonde girl around to face the brunette. Tracey's eyes were still watery but she was able to say, "I'm sorry. To both of you." She looked at Harry.

It was lame, but Tracey couldn't manage much more in the face of their proper manners. Daphne eyed the girl with an even look, before she nodded once but pulled her hand away. Tracey watched as they walked away, the tears starting to fall.

Harry tried his best to fight the urge to turn around, and prevailed. Instead he spoke to Daphne. "You don't have to treat her so. I have no intentions of bringing your friendship to an end."

Daphne regarded the Lord for just a moment as they walked, Astoria looking up at them both, "I know. But I'm not quite ready for that. We'll get our chance to talk at the School, privately" was all Daphne had to say about it.

Harry nodded and looked down in surprise as Astoria held his hand, smiling cheekily "She's stupid for letting you go. I'll be your date for the first Hogsmeade weekend if you'd like, Harry"

Harry laughed at the audacity of Astoria's joke, the laughter breaking the tension. Daphne cracked a smile at her sister's antics. Harry's hand held Astoria's as they walked.

Ollivander's wand shop was as cluttered and eerie as ever. Harry looked around when they walked in, remembering just a couple years ago when he had gotten his faithful companion, "Holly, Eleven Inches, with a Phoenix tail feather core. Nice and supple."

Astoria let out a cry of fright at the slightly raspy voice, Garrick Ollivander having once again successfully snuck up on a new customer. Daphne hadn't flinched, and neither had Harry, both having experienced the eccentricities of the man before.

"And Pine, 10 inches, with Unicorn hair. Rigid, but with a surprising flexibility" This Ollivander aimed at Daphne, Harry noting the interesting combination.

"Good to see your memory is as sharp as ever, Mr. Ollivander" Harry said to the man.

"Quite right. The little details escape me sometimes but I remember every wand I've ever created, as you know Mr. Potter. And this must be the younger Greengrass, hello dear" Ollivander walked through the shelves of his shop, Astoria already trying to swat away the measuring tape that was dancing around her.

And thus began Garrick Ollivander's greatest love in life, of finding the wand that best suited the witch or wizard. He pulled a few boxes off the bottom rack and walked over to the counter. Astoria waved them around for just a moment each, with varying results.

"Hmm" Ollivander chose some from the far racks, top shelf. Maybe something a bit older? A few more boxes were discarded almost immediately after Astoria touched them.

Unpredictable, and challenging, something that Ollivander loved in a customer. Perhaps something with a bit more personality. He went to the back of his shop and came back with only a single box.

"Try this one." Ollivander said, and presented the wand to the girl.

Astoria's fingers gripped the wand and BANG Ollivander was blasted backwards, crashing through a shelf. Harry and Daphne looked on, aghast. Harry moved to help the man but stopped when Ollivander started laughing.

"I think the wand has chosen. That's the one for you, no doubt about it." The old man stood up and dusted himself off as if nothing ever happened. After a wave of his wand it looked like nothing had.

"Dogwood, 12 and a half inches, with Dragon Heart-string. Snappy in its flexibility. A feisty wand, to be sure." Ollivander stepped up to the counter and Harry dropped the 7 Galleons into his hand. "Look out for that one, Mr. Potter, she's going to be a handful"

As they left Harry wondered if Ollivander meant the wand, or Astoria.

***Break***

Cornelius Fudge Apparrated into Diagon. Lucius had said the boy was here, Cornelius just hoped he was in time. He ignored the waves from some of his supporters, searching around. There!

"Mr. Potter! Hello!" Cornelius huffed a bit, having almost jogged over to the trio he saw leaving the wand shop.

"Ah, Minister. Please, there was no need to rush." Harry asked, slipping easily into a jovial mood. "Allow me to introduce the Heiress Greengrass and her younger sister Astoria"

Both the girls curtsied politely at the still slightly out of breath man. Cornelius stood up straight and tipped his hat to them all, "A pleasure, girls, as always. Will I be seeing you both this year at the gala?"

"Oh, you've met before?" Harry cut in, surprised.

"Of course. Though Astoria, here, only once. Daphne has been a frequent attendee of our Christmas balls for years now." Cornelius explained.

"I am not sure what our plans will be this year, Minister. We are still dealing with some personal matters that may affect our attendance this year" Daphne said to the man, not sure of Harry's viewpoint on the social event.

"Of course, of course. How rude of me. Now, tell me Astoria, are you excited for your upcoming first year? I know I was when I first got my wand" Cornelius spoke to Astoria, almost… babying the girl, Harry noticed.

That was what made Harry aware of what the politician was doing. The man was subtly asking how the daughters were taking the results of Harry's new Wardship of them both, and prying for details of how he could best use it. Harry's mood darkened. And Harry couldn't really step in because it would look, oh so subtly, like he was asking for the Minister's help.

_Diplomacy Skill has increased! It is now 28!_

_Sense Intention Skill has increased! It is now 33!_

Shrewd, Mr. Fudge, Harry told himself. But 2 could play that game, and like a mask had been pulled onto his face Harry looked as if something had just dawned on him and he cut into the small talk, "Oh! Minister, I've been meaning to ask. Since the term is so close and I've had such a busy summer, I've been unable to attend any Wizengamot meetings. Were you ever able to convene the Wizengamot about the Order of Merlin?"

Harry remembered Arthur's words about Fudge's annoyance about Harry demanding Ron Weasley receive any ward Harry received. Cornelius grimaced for a moment but responded jovially, "Yes, in fact I have! The ceremony for you and Ronald is set to happen this Friday, just before you all set off to Hogwarts. Thanks for reminding me!"

"Donald, you mean." Harry responded with a smile.

_Lying Skill has increased! It is now 13!_

"Yes, yes Donald sorry. Arthur has so many boys it's hard to keep up sometimes" Cornelius laughed.

"So true. But I must ask, was there something that you needed? You rushed over here so quickly I thought something had arisen. If not, we really must be going." Harry decided to hurry this along.

_Etiquette Skill has increased! It is now 35!_

Cornelius thumbed his bowler in annoyance at the dismissal. Harry might as well have said 'either come up with another excuse to keep talking or go away'. There wasn't anything Cornelius could come up with that would keep them there any longer so he said his goodbyes, almost stomping on his way back to the Apparition point.

"Well played, Lord Potter, thank you for that" Daphne said, having grown tired of the man almost as soon as he had said hello.

Harry grinned, knowing that he had played Fudge but had slipped nothing by the astute girl. They walked together to the Leaky to use the Floo as the Portkey point was in the same direction as the still stomping Cornelius Fudge.

***Break***

Astoria wanted to throw up, but her close proximity to Harry gave her the strength to hold it in. The young girl had travelled by Floo less times than she had fingers and could honestly say that she hated the method. Portkey's weren't great but they were much better than the dizzying spinning of Floo Travel. Harry had luckily offered to ride with her, when in the Leaky the girl admitted that she didn't have much experience with the method of travel. So the girl had happily accepted Harry's arms around her, until she remembered that the travel made her extremely nauseous.

It came to an end just in time, and once in the sitting room Astoria dashed to the bathroom. Daphne flared out of the fireplace to a confused Harry who was trying to figure out why Astoria had run off. Daphne helpfully supplied the reason, "Floo Travel makes Tori puke. You're lucky you didn't get any on you, I've already learned my lesson."

Harry glared at the girl as she sassily walked by, the picture of elegance, "Well you could have warned me"

Daphne headed upstairs and called back, "But where would the fun be in that, Milord?"

Harry grumbled, he had been played. And who the heck still used Milord? What was she, 60? "What are you, 60?" But Harry wasn't able to get the response out in time before he heard Daphne's door close upstairs.

"Dammit." Harry cursed to himself quietly, he was losing his touch already. Knowing he had lost that round Harry headed over to the bathroom to check on Astoria.

***Break***

Astoria hovered up carefully, the Cleansweep holding her perfectly steady. Slow and steady. Slow and steady.

"Perfect. Now, gently lean forward just a bit. There it goes. The broom will listen to you, as long as you're confident. Are you confident? Okay, lean a bit more. Get a feel for it" Harry coached gently. They were on the Quidditch Pitch. Daphne rested under an umbrella with a book nearby, wanting to watch Astoria's first ride but not wanting a tan in doing so.

Astoria smiled wide as she started going a bit faster. She was flying! On a broom! She made sure to listen to Harry though, who had stressed the importance of safety. Harry was walking right below her, keeping her in a straight line. Once they got about 25 meters Harry spoke again, "Okay, turning. You're going to want to grip as you lean. The grip can affect the speed so you don't want to grip too hard, and then you lean into it. You have plenty of room so turn as wide as you want. Perfect. That's the basics so why don't you try a few things out, I have my wand ready but be careful"

The girl looked absolutely thrilled at her experience, exploring how the broom worked. She didn't go very fast but the movement was so new to her that she felt like it was fast. Balto barked happily and took Harry's spot beneath her, the dog barely keeping up with Astoria as she went a little faster.

"Woohoo!" Astoria yelled, giddy at the new experience. She floated happily for about 10 minutes until she landed, breathless.

"That was awesome!" She ran up to Daphne, who smiled at the girl. Daphne didn't really like brooms but wasn't going to stop Astoria from trying them out. The girl happily took a sip of the lemonade on the small table Daphne had brought out with the umbrella, Dolly having help set it up.

Astoria grimaced as a taste that was not tea assaulted her. "Yuck! What is this stuff, alcohol?"

Daphne couldn't help but laugh at the purely childlike moment Astoria just had. "No, Tori, its lemonade. I like it"

"It's gross." Astoria set it back down. Harry walked up from where he had been in the center of the Pitch running around with Balto for a moment. Harry picked up the drink that Tori had just set down and took a long swallow.

"Will everyone please stop drinking my drink?" Daphne complained. Get your own damn drink, if you're so thirsty, she thought.

"Oh, sorry, I thought it was mine." Harry apologized, out of breath. He set the cup down.

"It is, now." Daphne said, and resumed reading her book.

Shrugging, Harry picked the cup back up and walked away taking another drink. Balto somehow seemed able to match Harry's impressive Stamina, and Harry pet the dog as it ran by him. Astoria walked up next to him, watching a happy Balto chase a butterfly. "So did I do well?"

"A little slow, but it was your first time. Are you thinking about going again?" Harry asked the girl.

"Slow? Fine, can I ride with you since you're apparently so fast?" The girl asked, thinking that the paltry speed she had achieved was normal for the broom. The girl had never seen a Quidditch match before, so didn't know how fast it could be.

Harry grinned. A Firebolt appeared in his hand out of thin air, making Astoria jump. "You have to teach me how you do that."

"Maybe some day. Are you sure you want to ride with me? I go fast." Harry warned the girl.

"I can handle it."Astoria said defiantly.

Nodding, Harry walked over to Daphne. "Astoria and I are going to ride together. Are you okay with that?"

Daphne looked at her sister in surprise. Astoria wanted to ride with Harry? And then it dawned on Daphne that Astoria had no experience with brooms, they had never even owned one before. Remembering many a Quidditch match featuring Harry, Daphne kind of had an idea what Astoria was in for. Daphne greatly appreciated Harry asking her permission first though. "She can do what she likes, just go easy on her." Daphne turned a page in her book.

Astoria paled a bit. Go easy on her? Easy was faster than she had gone? Suddenly the girl wasn't so sure what she had signed up for. But she wasn't a wimp so when Harry mounted the Firebolt and held it steady for her, she climbed on. What she hadn't counted on was how close she was going to be to Harry, who had to wrap his arms around her to reach the broomstick, something that his long arms made pretty easy.

"Hang on tight, just in between my hands. Alright. You ready?" Harry gave her one last chance to change her mind. Astoria gulped but nodded.

Like a bullet Harry brought them up into the air. Astoria lost her breath for a moment at the sudden movement only it didn't stop as Harry climbed higher than she had earlier and took off. Astoria's stomach rose and then fell as they whipped around the Pitch. Finally she was able to catch her breath as she got used to the movement.

"This. Is. Awesome!" Astoria cheered, and Harry laughed behind her. "Does it go any faster?"

"Does it go any faster, she asks. Hang on!" Harry warned the girl and Harry started really showing what a Firebolt could do. Astoria screamed in exuberance and they rode around even higher. Harry took them around the grounds, letting loose for a moment. Astoria reached out with one hand and swiped at the water of the fountain as Harry flew by it. This was crazy!

Harry brought them up high into the air, and floated for a second to let the girl catch her breath. The view was amazing, and Harry's wards prevented anyone from potentially seeing them. "Wow." Astoria looked around in amazement.

"Pretty cool eh?" Harry said as he too looked around.

"Very cool." Astoria agreed.

"You ready to head down?" Astoria nodded, and then screamed as Harry tipped them into a sudden and steep dive. As fast as an arrow, faster yet than they had gone, the pair rocketed down to the ground.

"Woooooooo!" Astoria called out as Harry took them into an easy corkscrew, the world rotating around them. They pulled out of the dive smoothly and Harry touched them down just in front of Daphne. "That was amazing!" Astoria exclaimed.

Daphne eyed them both, a little jealous of Astoria at being able to get to ride like that. Even though Harry was the Gryffindor Seeker, no one at Hogwarts questioned the boy's flying skill. Harry laughed and messed up Astoria's hair. Or fixed it. It was hard to tell after the win had worked its magic. Harry headed over to the broom shed with the Firebolt when he noticed a scuff on the handle. Probably from his Lord's ring Harry thought to himself, but nothing a little buffer won't fix.

As if knowing what Daphne was thinking Astoria said to her sister, "You have got to try that!"

"I've ridden on a broom before," Daphne replied, flipping another page of her book.

"Yeah, but unless you've been keeping secrets you've never ridden a Firebolt. It was so fast!" Astoria plopped down onto the grass under the umbrella, Balto running over when he saw his human.

"I'm quite alright. I've gone plenty fast on the school brooms, and wasn't that good anyways" Daphne took a sip of the new lemonade she had gotten while Harry and Astoria had been in the air. Another page flip. Astoria noted the title to be a Charms themed book.

Astoria turned to look at Harry for a moment as the boy opened the door of the shed. "So ride with Harry! It was awesome, and he's really careful. I bet he'd agree!"

"I would hardly think that Harry wants to take another person into the air today" Daphne replied easily.

Astoria grinned like a cat and turned to her sister, mischief in her eyes, "I'm going to ask him"

"What?" Daphne said only to see Astoria already running off to where Harry was. Ugh. Stupid girl, Daphne thought both at Astoria and to herself once she saw the trap for what it was.

"Harry! Can Daphne take a ride on your broomstick?" Astoria called out to him and Daphne choked on her lemonade. One of Daphne's only regrets in life was letting Astoria read their mother's private collection, the other being reading some of the books herself. Luckily the joke went over Harry's head, or he simply ignored it, Daphne couldn't tell as she walked up from where she had been seated in an attempt to put a stop to this.

"Really?" Harry asked looking up at the older sister quizzically as he buffed the Firebolt.

Daphne had been one of the few who, during his party, had displayed no interest in the pick up games they had played on the Pitch. She just didn't seem the type. "You can ride it if you want, I have no problem with it"

Daphne coughed into her hand, blushing slightly which was hidden by the flushed look that the heat of the day had already given her. Either Harry was entirely clueless or he was playing along with Astoria and Daphne didn't know which option was worse. But Daphne could tell that Astoria thought that her sister wouldn't go through with it, and had just asked to tease her sister a bit. 2 could play that game Astoria. Daphne thought to herself.

"Okay, but I'm not very good." Daphne admitted, and it was the truth. Part of why she didn't like broomsticks was that she had almost no talent for the things.

"Did you want me to ride with you?" Harry offered, just like Daphne thought that he would. Daphne nodded, and Astoria watched her plan fail. Harry put away the buffing rag and oil and smoothly mounted the broom.

***Break***

Riding with Daphne was much different as the older sibling had about 14 centimeters on the younger one. Harry's long arms once again proved up to the task but the two were much closer than Harry had been with Astoria. Luckily having her back to Harry hid Daphne's blush at the closeness as well as the small tongue that Daphne shot at Astoria who looked put out to have failed in her plan to embarrass her sister a bit. Astoria mock glared in return.

"Ready?" Harry asked once they were situated.

"Yes," Daphne replied confidently in defiance of her sister's glare.

It was only as they shot off at incredible speeds that Daphne realized the folly of what she had agreed to, Harry already starting her off faster than he had with Astoria. Daphne's eyes were wide and her body was rigid. The speed was incredible and Harry whipped through the air and across the grounds, always one to enjoy a good flight. But Harry's warm arms were wrapped around Daphne tightly and slowly she relaxed into the flight. She even found herself starting to enjoy the skillful way that Harry maneuvered through the air.

"How are you holding up?" Harry's voice, so close to her ear surprised Daphne "Do you want to go faster?"

"I'm fine!" She called back at him, and she was.

Harry smiled, and maintained their speed, but took them through a few more tricks than he had with Astoria, even going through the Quidditch rings at one point. Finally Harry brought them down to the ground and Daphne was as breathless as Astoria had been. That was thrilling, once you took away the feeling of risk associated with flying. Harry's confidence and skill had gone a long way into making Daphne feel safe even in the air.

With the rush of endorphins, the girls' usually calm demeanor was shattered and Daphne said, "That was awesome!" and actually allowed emotion to show on her face for once. A large smile that she aimed at Harry.

Harry couldn't help but smile back, entranced by how the smile seemed to transform Daphne's already pretty face. It would definitely be a look he tried to bring out of her more often. Astoria broke the moment though, and Harry had to take the jealous younger sister back up into the air. He didn't mind though.

***Break***

Molly Weasley wasn't sure what to make of it, to be honest, staring at the article. She always got the issue a day late, it was a bit more frugal that way and Arthur would let her know if there was exciting news so she didn't need to stay as current as most. The idea of some sort of affair, and at 13 no less, was absurd. But she had noticed the way that Harry had addressed the cool blonde at his birthday party. You didn't get to be a mother of 7 without picking up a few signs along the way. Charles had looked at that pink-haired girl much the same after a Quidditch game that Molly and Arthur had come to watch. Attraction that even the wielder was unaware of. Probably meant nothing, might not turn into anything like it hadn't for Charlie and Tonks, but it leant just a small enough nugget of truth to the words in Rita's that Molly was torn. Despite the red hair though, Harry was not one of her brood even if she happily treated him like one, and she tossed the article knowing that there was nothing she could do for it anyways.

It was as Ron was taking out the rubbish that he saw it. Normally the boy wouldn't bother with the Daily Prophet, but when the main picture clearly showed your best friend you at least gave it a glance. And when it contained the stuff that it did you gave it a hard read. Ron had played it cool around Harry, knowing that jealousy wouldn't do him any favors, but he was a teenage boy now and you didn't see your best friend with an arm around a pretty girl without feeling a twinge of jealousy. Harry was already growing up and dating girls, something that Ron wanted to do but wasn't as confident to try and pull off. And when the article insinuated that Harry was doing a bit more than some snogging Ron was honestly a bit pissed. Now Harry had 3 girls? What sort of guy did that? So with permission from his mother after a smooth lie saying Harry had invited Ron over he decided to find out. Ron tossed the article onto his bed and went down to the Floo.

Fred crept into his younger brother's room along with George, the two troublemakers always looking for an opportunity to prank Ron. So when Ron had called out that he was going to visit Harry, the twins jumped at the chance. They were going to just change a few of the boy's Hogwarts crests on the school robes to a more… flattering color, as well as hide one of every matched sock the boy owned. George was the one who noticed the picture of Harry on the bed, and was curious enough to check it out. After a few lines he nudged Fred and like so many things they read the article together as one. Ickle Harrikins was growing up. Fred and George looked at one another with matching grins, oh they were gonna tease Harry about this one good. They didn't believe a word of the article, of course, but that wouldn't stop them from using it as ammunition. They took the article upstairs to hide it before deciding to go for a fly before term. Wouldn't do for the dynamic duo to show up to school rusty, Oliver would have their heads.

Ginny easily picked the lock of her twin brother's room after noticing the boisterous twins stampede past her door on the landing. It was a skill that she had picked up from breaking into the broom shed for some sneaky late night flights. Satisfied at her successful entry, she looked over the room in interest. Her brothers always had the good stuff, and Ginny would be lying if she said that she didn't have a mischievous side almost as big as Fred and George's. She crept over to their closet, intent on burglarizing a few Wet-Start Fireworks. As she rustled through the messy closet, headed for their secret stash she saw it. Harry Potter. Always interested in something that involved her crush, she pulled the newspaper out of the stash. It was a teary eyed Ginny that would be running from the room past her brothers, newspaper in hand. Ginny had thought that once Tracey and Harry were done she might be able to work up the courage to show the boy that she was more than a shy, timid girl. But Harry had skipped right past that and was now living with 2 girls, one of whom was much prettier, taller, fuller, richer, Ginny stopped listing adjectives about Daphne as her head buried into her pillow and she cried.

***Break***

It was Thursday now, and Harry sat with Daphne in the sitting room with a book in each of their respective hands. Astoria was outside with Balto under the watchful beady eyes of Dolly. The 2 teenagers were content to just relax and read a bit. The noise in the sitting room was quiet and relaxing, only broken by the sound of a page turning. Daphne had chosen another Charms book, as it was her best and favorite subject, while Harry was reading, Daphne squinted just a bit at the title, a book about engines. Weird, but hardly harming to Daphne and she ignored it.

This was the scene that was shattered by the flames of the Floo. Harry was up in a flash with wand in hand and standing in front of Daphne. He was not expecting visitors so was suitably cautious. The wand was lowered when Ron Weasley stepped out of the flames.

"Ron! Mate, you scared me there" Harry laughed easily and walked up to say hello. He paused a moment though at the look in Ron's eyes, aimed at Daphne behind him.

"Harry." Ron said, anger clear in his voice, and Harry sighed, knowing that look, but didn't stop walking forward.

Ron was surprised at the strength of Harry when Harry's arm wrapped around his shoulders in what was normally a friendly hug. Instead of a hug though, Harry wrapped him up in almost a headlock and started dragging the boy out of the room, Ron's head under his arm.

"Oi! Let me go, you prat!" Ron grunted at his friend, trying to dislodge himself. Even a few punches were ignored by Harry's iron grip and easy steps. Harry debated for a moment before deciding on the Study as the best setting for this, the room's silencing wards still as strong as when he had first cast them just a couple days ago. Daphne looked a bit worried at the pair, but didn't quite know what they were doing.

***Break***

"She clearly brainwashed you!" Ron finished his rant to Harry as Harry sat at his desk calmly. The boy had let his frustrations out in the privacy of the Study, detailing what he thought was some sort of conspiracy by the Slytherin girls to get to his fortune.

"Are you done?" Harry said calmly, figuring it was best to let Ron say his piece first. Ron nodded and flopped down onto a chair, finally looking around the room in interest.

"Good. First off, what business is it of yours who I do and do not date? That was rhetorical, Ron" Harry silenced Ron with a spell when the boy tried to interrupt, "I let you say your piece and you'll let me say mine. Secondly, where on earth did you get the idea that I would be capable of having an affair, an affair Ron, at 13. Mate, I've kissed a girl less times than I have fingers. Plus, that duel was crazy and I had no idea it was going to end up this way but despite that this is my home Ron, mine, and I'll have whoever the hell I want in it whenever the bloody hell I please. You don't know Daphne and Astoria, hell I don't even know them, but it was my own bloody stupidity that brought them into my home. Tracey left me, mate, with how this all went down and those girls out there lost their home and their father because of my mistakes, no one else's. I had to take responsibility for that. That's not going to change anytime soon. But if you think for one second, for one bloody second, that I'm doing anything to those girls then you don't know me at all Ron and that's the real tragedy."

Harry let out a sigh of frustration, and lifted the silencing spell. Ron suitably looked like the wind had been taken from his sails.

"You're right, Harry… I'm sorry" Ron said, looking down at his feet and meaning it.

It wasn't enough though, not for Harry. "Mate, you can't just barge into my home and start throwing stuff like that around. You're lucky I brought us in here and not let you blow up outside. A letter, a simple Floo call, hell even asking to speak to me privately. There's certain things you do and don't do, Ron, and throwing around accusations of people sleeping together or conspiring to steal my money is pretty high up on the list of don't do."

Ron at least had the decency to look sheepish, but ever the black mark of his personality his jealousy wasn't quite gone. "But are you?"

"Are I what, Ron?" Harry asked warningly. Surely Ron wouldn't.

"Sleeping together." Ron said callously, yet innocently. As jealous as Ron was of Harry for already doing that with a girl, Ron was honestly a bit curious what that was like.

"Get out." Harry said, venom clear in his voice. Ron looked startled at the change, and didn't move.

"Get out, Ron, before I throw you out." Harry stood up, fury in his eyes.

"It's just a question, mate" Ron said in an attempt to calm his friend.

"It's a bloody rude violation of my privacy! And a slap in my face! GET. OUT." Harry started walking around the desk, and Ron remembered the iron grip that Harry had developed this summer. Ron got to his feet in a hurry.

"Mate, calm down. If it's that big of a deal just say no" Ron tried again at the calming route.

"NO, Ron, we're not bloody sleeping together!" Harry roared at his friend. He was furious, the idea that Ron would think so little of him, of any girl, hitting Harry's proud moral code in every wrong way.

"See? That wasn-"Ron didn't get to finish the thought. Harry's fist smacking his face might have had something to do with it.

Ron fell back at the heavy blow, shocked to feel that his lip had split and his eye hurt like hell. Harry stood over him like a towering giant, fury still in his eyes. Ron scrambled to his feet and looked at the door, how the hell did he open this thing. A wave of Harry's hand opened the door for Ron, and he dashed into the hallway.

"You're bloody mental, mate! You could have just said you weren't sleeping together!" Ron said to his friend, looking back at Harry. "Who punches someone for a question?"

Harry roared once more and followed Ron out into the hallway. Ron saw that his friend was clearly intent on hitting him again, and ran to the sitting room. There, Daphne glared and Astoria looked up at Ron who dashed over to the fireplace, the younger girl having wanted a break from the heat outside and curling up at Daphne's side while the older girl had clearly heard the words Ron had let slip in the hallway. A quick pinch of Floo powder had the green flames burning.

"Your bloody boyfriend is mental" Ron threw at the girl, clearly drawing the wrong conclusion to Harry's rage. Daphne looked at the boy, shocked at the unexpected words but still angry as well. Harry came around the corner in a fury, and Ron dodged the Impedimenta to yell out, "The Burrow!" as he dove into the flames.

Harry glared at the fireplace, arguing the merits of following Ron through the Floo. The audacity of Ron's callousness reminded Harry that as far as the Weasley had come that Summer, he still had the emotional range of a teaspoon.

***Break***

Daphne looked at Harry, concern on her face, while Astoria looked more worried. Harry rarely showed rage in front of Daphne, the only time she could think of was when her father had called Daphne a whore and started the duel. Astoria had never seen it before, only knowing Harry to be carefree, gentle, and caring. It was frightening, even when the rage wasn't pointed at you, as Harry's eyes seemed to almost glow with fire.

"Harry?" Daphne asked softly, knowing what had set the boy off but also putting into her voice a reminder that she was unharmed by the words.

And like a candle in the wind, Daphne's voice broke through Harry's rage and put out that fire. Harry still breathed heavily but he no longer looked like he was about to blow up the fireplace. Harry stomped into the kitchen for a moment to take a breath, away from the two sisters. In. Out. Harry calmed himself and walked back into the room.

Astoria looked at Harry for a moment and then glanced at the fireplace. "What was that about? Who was that?"

Harry glared at the fireplace for a moment, wondering how much he should say to the girl. "That was Ron. Bloody idiot said some rude things."

Astoria looked confused, "He looked like you had punched him. What did he say?"

Damning Astoria's inquisitive nature and incessant need to have the answers Harry pinched the bridge of his nose. There wasn't much to do about it, unless he wanted to fault Astoria for simply being an innocent girl with a lot of questions.

"The idiot, like always, spoke without letting his mind put the words together. He accused Daphne and I of sleeping together" Harry stated, still with a bit of heat in his voice.

Astoria gasped and looked at her sister, who looked shocked at the admission and was blushing a bit at the idea that she would be sleeping with anyone. Harry and Daphne? Sure, the younger girl liked to tease them a bit at their reluctant attraction of one another. But sleeping together? Those were bold words.

In uncharacteristic fashion, Daphne was the one to speak, "That is an absolutely rude thing to imply, A Pureblood should know better"

"Oh, he didn't imply it." Harry said, and he stomped off to his Dueling Room to blow off some steam.

Astoria watched her sister. Daphne was processing the idea of someone, a Pureblood no less, being so clueless as to just come out and ask if 2 people were shagging. Astoria's words matched Daphne's thoughts, "What an idiot"

***Break***

Hermione carefully set the bookmark in to mark her place. The Ancient Runes text that she was reading was fascinating and she was glad that she had picked up the supplemental text during her shopping. She looked around the room to make sure, once again, that she had everything she needed. Nodding to herself, Hermione gently set the book at the top of her trunk and closed the lid. Mr. Weasley was due over shortly to bring her to the Burrow. Her parents were going to a conference for the weekend so Molly had offered to let Hermione stay over and head to King's Cross with them. Hermione's parents had jumped at the kind offer and so here she was.

"Hermione! Mr. Weasley is here! Come down!" Her father, Decklin, called up from the bottom of the stairs. Hermione grabbed the handle of the trunk and carefully guided it from the room. At the top of the stairs she saw her father, thick glasses and curly hair, standing with Mr. Weasley. Mr. Weasley waved his wand at the girl, offer clear, and Hermione nodded.

Mr. Weasley levitated the trunk down the stairs and Hermione followed, "Thank you, Mr. Weasley"

"Not a problem, Hermione. These things can get heavy when you have a fondness for books" Mr. Weasley smiled knowingly. The man had been an avid reader in his own Hogwarts days so understood the struggles.

With the trunk safely on the floor Mr. Weasley shook Mr. Granger's hand firmly. A quick hat tip said goodbye to Mrs. Granger, whose long flowing hair was always such a contrast to Hermione's with how straight it was. Hermione hugged both of her parents, accepting a kiss on the cheek from her mother.

"You behave yourself, and don't give the Weasleys any trouble, okay?" Her mother stated firmly, she was always one who promoted good behaviour and manners especially in someone else's home.

"I won't, Mum, don't worry. Bye Dad!" Hermione called over her shoulder, running to catch up with Mr. Weasley who was pulling the girl's trunk outside. They were going to Side-Along Apparate from the backyard which had a high private fence. Mr. Weasley stared longingly at the lawn mower that Mr. Granger had, trying to divine its purpose. Hermione's hand on his arm made him aware that it was time to go and he spun in place.

***Break***

Hermione didn't like the feeling of Apparation, but she didn't dislike it. It wasn't comfortable but it was fascinating to see the scene around you change so suddenly. Hermione walked into the Burrow while Arthur excused himself to go tinker in his shed.

Hermione was just heading to the stairs after greeting Molly Weasley, when the flash of green flames alerted her to the arrival of Ron. Seeing her friend made her happy for just a moment, until she saw the split lip and the slowly blackening eye. Indeed, the way that Ron almost fell out of the fireplace worried her.

"Ron! What on earth! What happened?" Hermione called out to him and dashed to his side. The lip was bleeding just a bit. Hermione's call out pulled Molly from the kitchen where she had been starting on lunch for the kids.

"Ronald, dear! What happened? I thought you were going to visit Harry" Molly fussed over her boy, using a hand towel to wipe the blood.

"I did! And that mental idiot punched me!" Ron complained, and flinched at his mother's touch against his eye.

Hermione was confused. Harry punched Ron? That certainly didn't sound like Harry, not unless he had a good reason. Her tone was disbelieving, "Why would Harry punch you?"

Ron flinched once more as Molly put a rag against his eye. He sighed in relief though as magic made the rag ice cold and soothing. "I was talking to him about the article"

Molly gasped, she had thrown that piece of rubbish away for a reason. Clearly her boy had gotten hold of it. Hermione though, who did not get the Prophet, only asked "Article?"

"Yeah. He apparently fought some duel, and lives with the 2 Greengrass girls now" Ron said, as blunt as always.

Shocked was only the tip of the iceberg for Hermione, whose quick mind ran through a ton of information. Harry fought a duel, Hermione knew of the concept of a duel but not what it meant in Wizarding society. And now her friend lived with 2 girls? Alone? Odd, but one thing she knew about Harry was that he was pretty much the epitome of chivalry so she didn't think he would be doing anything unscrupulous with the girls. Which mean that for Harry to punch Ron it would mean that Ron said something stupid. Her mind flashed to Ron's own words he had sent at Hermione in 1st year that had sent her to the bathroom crying, and she knew Ron was capable of saying things that could hurt or insult without even really trying. She had her theory now, time to confirm it.

"Did you say something to him that might have upset him?" Hermione asked curiously.

"No! I only asked him about Daphne, and if he was sure that the snake wasn't trying to trick him!" Ron argued. There it was.

"What did you ask him, Ronald?" This time it was Molly who chimed in. She didn't like the idea of Ron being hit, but boys sometimes roughhoused or spoke with their fists. Not that girls were much better, she thought to herself, remembering many times when she had kicked her brothers Gideon and Fabian in her youth for their prankster ways. So very like Fred and George, she thought wistfully.

Ron blushed, and looked away. Here was Hermione, a girl, and his mother both asking him to basically fess up to asking Harry if he had slept with Daphne. What was he supposed to say? So he said, "Nothing"

Hermione's alarm bells rung in her head, Ron had said something stupid or offensive or both. "Ron." She warned him with just his name that she was going to get to the bottom of this whether he liked it or not so he might as well come clean.

"IaskedhimifhewassleepingwithDaphne." Ron said in a rush, deciding to just get it over with. Like a Baid-and his dad would say.

Hermione gasped, able to decipher the words. His mother too looked outraged. "You did what?!" They both yelled at him.

"Honestly, Ronald." Hermione chided him. Molly simply hauled him to his feet by his ear. Why she ought to teach her boy a lesson, thinking that that sweet boy would do something so crude.

"What? It was in the article! And she's sleeping at his house Hermione!" Ron yelled, slightly pained at his mother's firm grip on his ear.

"That's hardly the point! Harry wouldn't do something like that! He's dating Tracey, for one, and he's 13 for Merlin's sake!" Hermione seethed.

Ron had had enough. Being blamed for being the one who got punched, annoyed at his mother for pinching his ear, his lip hurt, his eye hurt. So he lashed out, "Tracey left him! Good riddance too, if he's so violent. You better watch out for him, or what, are you sleeping with him too?"

Slap! Hermione's hand whipped across his face, the same side that Harry had hit. Molly couldn't blame the girl, she wanted to paddle her son for being rude to Hermione like that. Hermione's eyes teared up. Ron never seemed to learn that words can hurt.

Hermione knew that she was stuck, she couldn't go home as her parents were headed to the train station just after Hermione had left. And now she was trapped in a house with a boy that would think so little of her. She wanted to leave.

Harry came across her mind once more and she decided to try that. "Mrs. Weasley thank you for having me over but I don't think I can stay here. Would you mind if I went to Harry's?"

A conflicted look came across the mother's face. She had told Mrs. Granger that Hermione would be staying with them but also understood why Hermione wanted to leave. Deciding that it would probably be best if Hermione wasn't in the house for the firm thrashing that Molly was planning for Ron's backside she said "I think that would be fine dear. There's some Floo powder on the mantle. Just a pinch. You head right back here though if Harry can't take you."

Hermione nodded and dragged her trunk to the fireplace. It was tricky, but she was able to get the trunk into the fireplace with her and with a small pinch of Floo powder thrown down she said "Potter Manor" while maintaining a teary eyed glare at Ron. With the bushy-haired girl gone Molly pulled Ron over her knee by his ear. Teenager or not, no one got away with talking like that in her house.

***Break***

Astoria was the only one in the sitting room at this point, Daphne having gone upstairs to calm herself at that Ron boy's thoughtless words. So when the fireplace flared in front of her she was rightfully scared. Luckily, Balto was there and the dog jumped up to her defense when Astoria let out a cry of fright.

Balto's barking echoed through the house that Hermione had entered. While Hermione didn't fear dogs, with maybe the exception of Fluffy, Balto was a fairly large Husky and his message he was sending was pretty clear. Take one step towards my human, and I'll be showing you these teeth. And behind the dog was a girl that Hermione had never seen who ducked behind a couch. Ron had mentioned 2 girls so this must be Daphne's sister. Hermione was pretty much stuck.

Daphne had heard the cry of fright as well as Balto's barking that was still echoing through the house. Those 2 things meant her sister was in danger so Daphne took the stairs 2 at a time. The girl had been in the process of changing for an afternoon nap so was only in her brassiere and the skirt she hadn't yet removed. That didn't matter to the girl who would always come to Astoria's side if her sister was in trouble.

Harry too, even over the sound of his spellfire, could at least hear Balto's barking. Balto, while an excitable dog, had yet to actually bark at anything and never so loudly or urgently. Taking the stairs in 3 long bounds, he rushed upstairs to find out what was going on.

Daphne got there first, and took in the scene. Hermione, who Daphne knew from school, was in the fireplace. Astoria was crouched behind the couch. Balto was barking loudly. Putting the scene together in her mind Daphne restored order. "Balto! Heel!"

Like a switch, Balto stopped barking. The dog knew better than to ignore Daphne's tone, danger to his human or not. And he understood the command to heel. That didn't mean the dog would move though, and planted his furry butt right where he was.

Hermione was grateful for the girl and took that moment to step out of the deep fireplace. Her eyes were quizzical when she caught sight of Daphne, having previously been focused on Balto. Why was the girl only in a bra and skirt? "Daphne?"

"Daphne?" came Harry's voice as well as he burst out of the door to the basement. He took in the sight of Daphne. Her hair was down, and her make-up was off. Her wide eyes at the appearance of Harry, as she realized the state of her attire, were bright blue. Harry's eyes wandered lower, entranced. Then his mind caught up with the moment and he spun around to hide his embarrassment. His voice was considerably higher when he repeated, "Daphne!"

Hermione, who had wondered for a moment what the state of Daphne's clothes meant about Ron's theory, knew the truth instantly by Harry's reaction. At the absurdity of the scene she started laughing, her tears in her eyes from Ron's earlier words being replaced by tears of laughter at Harry's embarrassment. Daphne covered herself and fled the room, prompting Astoria to start laughing as well.

***Break***

Harry took a moment to compose himself, his back to the room. He could hear who he guessed was Daphne running up the stairs. The sight of the girl in nothing but her undergarments had lit a fire in Harry, and he needed to pull himself together. Now. He also heard Astoria and who he could tell was Hermione from their years of friendship. It was curiosity as to his friend's presence that finally enabled him to turn around.

Once he did, and after hearing the reason as to his friend's sudden appearance, he spoke, "Of course you can stay here, Hermione. You're always welcome over, you know that."

After debating a moment to go upstairs and apologize to Daphne, Harry decided that was probably not the best move right now. He instead realized that he was being rude. "Here, let me get that for you. Hermione, this is Astoria and the little barkbox here is Balto." Harry nudged the dog with his foot who only tried to lick Harry's toes at the gesture.

"Hello," Astoria waved, still laughing a little at Daphne's earlier embarrassment. Even she had never seen Daphne in her brassiere.

Hermione greeted the girl, and followed Harry up the stairs behind her trunk. Harry seemed to have no issue with the weight of it, simply heaving it up and carrying it over his shoulder as he walked up the stairs. "Why don't you just levitate it, Harry?"

"Oh… you're right, but at this point I'm just going to pretend I didn't hear you. La la la" Harry replied, kicking himself for forgetting magic but too stubborn to admit he was stupid.

Hermione and Astoria giggled at the boy's antics, Astoria passing a keen eye onto Harry's arms as the boy was still in his workout gear from being in the Dueling Room.

At the top of the stairs Harry motioned to Hermione, "You probably don't care, but pick any room you like. Astoria and Daphne's rooms are at the end of the hall next to mine."

Hermione thanked him and chose a room at random, she was only there for 2 nights anyways before term started. Harry followed behind her and hefted the trunk over his head and onto the floor like it weighed as much as a pillow.

"You have some serious strength there Harry, I have about 25 books in there" Hermione commented, and not small books either.

At the mention of books Astoria welcomed herself into the room and asked, "Ooo which ones?" Always interested in reading something new.

Harry let the two talk for a moment, Astoria relishing the chance to talk to someone new and especially about books. Hermione was impressed to find that Astoria had read some of the material she had in the trunk, and found her interest in the written word matched in Astoria.

"Are you hungry, Hermione?" Harry asked when there was a free moment, and the girl was suddenly aware that she hadn't eaten since breakfast which was about 5 hours ago now.

"Starving actually." Hermione admitted.

"Perfect. Just ask for Dobby if you need anything else, I'll go whip something together" Harry said.

"Whip something together?" Hermione asked, confused at Harry's almost mothering words but also teasing him for sounding so much like Molly Weasley for a moment.

"Dobby isn't allowed in the kitchen right now. You won't believe what he did" Astoria drew the other girl back into their conversation which let Harry escape. His ears had the faintest hint of pink for realizing he acted like a mother hen sometimes.

***Break***

Lunch was a boisterous affair. Astoria found Hermione frighteningly intelligent and always ready to answer whatever question the younger girl threw at her. Hermione found the tiny girl's presence bubbly and honestly a bit refreshing, always being the only girl in Harry's group of friends. And Astoria always seemed to be ready to tease Harry over the slightest thing, often making Hermione laugh. Together they made fast friends.

Poor Harry was outnumbered by the twin attacks they would shoot at him, Hermione bringing up past stories from their 2 years at Hogwarts. But he took it as the good fun that it was and they enjoyed themselves immensely. Daphne rejoined them after about 30 minutes, having foregone her afternoon nap in favor of composing herself after Harry had seen her in such a state. She made no mention of the incident as she entered, instead letting Dobby place a plate of Harry's fish and chips in front of her. Just because Dobby was banned from the kitchen didn't mean that the Elf couldn't still serve them some food. Harry didn't appreciate the egregious amount of salt that Dobby had snuck onto his fish though.

Astoria, who often ignored such decorum, merely chimed in, "Hey Daph! That's a nice shirt."

And it was, being flowy and well fitted, but Daphne knew that wasn't why the girl had brought it up. She glared at her sister who laughed at her own joke.

"Yes it is" Harry commented, hoping that chiming in would pull away from the joke but Astoria only laughed harder at his attempt at normality. Hermione looked between them all and was holding back a giggle of her own.

"You… shut up, you brat" Daphne tried to come up with something, but failed miserably and Astoria crumpled onto the floor laughing. Daphne couldn't not crack a smile at the girl, but decided to make Astoria squirm by poking her repeatedly in the side with her toe. That was Astoria's biggest ticklish spot and she made feeble attempt to block while still laughing.

Hermione smiled at the exchange, seeing a new side to the normally cool and quiet girl she remembered from school and the birthday party. But her curiosity had been building steadily and she turned to Harry, "So Harry, how did all of this happen? What happened with Tracey? What the heck constitutes a duel in Wizarding society? And how did these 2 come to live with you, no offense of course Daphne"

Daphne nodded, taking none. Harry took his last bite and placed the plates aside. He took a heavy breath and launched into the story, Astoria finally coming up off the floor much to Balto's disappointment who had come up to give his human some kisses.

***Break***

Hermione stared at the ceiling of the dark room, processing everything they had talked about late into the evening. She had any small concern about Harry's new living situation and any questions Hermione had about how it had come to be put to bed, much like she was now, but still the news had been shocking. She thought about the developments her friend's life had taken long into the night until sleep finally claimed her.

It was a different Hermione that woke up in the morning, having come to a few conclusions. The largest being that Harry Potter was different. Physical changes aside, not that Hermione hadn't noticed those as well, it was the personality changes that were becoming more and more apparent. In the span of a summer Harry seemed to have grown up in a lot of ways and changed in a lot of others. It was… different, but if Hermione was honest with herself it wasn't unwelcome. The more things change the more they stay the same, some would say. As different as Harry was to her now he was still Harry in so many ways. It painted her friend in a new light for her. And she found herself intrigued, and not in the way that she would have expected. Hermione wasn't sure what to do about it, but she knew that she would find out. The answers were always there, it was merely the journey to find them and she was well practiced at that.

She stepped into the spacious bathroom, and found out the wonders of the shower within. Harry had told her that today he would be going to the Ministry to accept an Order of Merlin for the Chamber incident, and that it was up to Hermione if she wanted to accompany him. Astoria was staying behind in favor of some bed rest, the girl's treatment from a few days ago starting to fail and the small girl's frailties becoming more apparent. That had been an interesting fact to learn about Harry's new living situation. Not only was he now responsible for 2 girls who had basically nothing except for some clothes, one of them was sick with a Blood Malediction that Hermione likened to chemo treatments and the oh so common cancer that plagued Muggles. Those of Magical Heritage were luckily immune to such things but Hermione had found many similarities between the description that Daphne had shared with them and what her Uncle had gone through a few years back with Leukemia. Astoria would have maybe 3-4 days after weekly treatments feeling fine and then 1-2 days slowly getting weaker until she finally had a day of bedrest hooked up to some equipment and the cycle would start again.

She finished up in the shower and dried her hair, the task always taking quite some time as her hair was very thick. That was why she always woke up very early, even if she stayed up late, and would often find herself exactly in the position she was in now. In a bed, still naked except for the robe wrapped around her and a towel in her hair, and a book in hand.

A soft knock sounded at her door, shocking her, and Harry's voice through the door shocked her more. "Hermione?'

What on earth was he doing up so early? Hermione had heard him pass her door at around 3 AM so she hadn't expected him to be up at 6. In a rush, she cinched the luckily long robe around her midriff tighter and walked up to the door so she could respond in a low voice, "Yes, Harry? What is it?"

"Can I come in? I wanted to talk to you for a bit" Harry's tone let her know that it was serious, so against her usually better judgement she cracked the door just a bit and poked her head around.

"Oh, I had no idea you weren't dressed. I'll come back later" Harry said, but it was the boy's look that prompted Hermione to open the door the rest of the way open and pull him inside. He wasn't crying, but she knew her friend well enough to see that he was struggling with something.

"I'll be just a moment," Hermione said, and she walked off to the bathroom while Harry sat on the bed, elbows on his knees. After just a moment she was dressed in the same pajamas that she had slept in, having no better options and not wanting to get her day clothes wet from her hair.

She sat next to him on the bed, "What's wrong, Harry?"

This was so unlike her friend. Not the brooding part, that she had seen enough of in their 2 years of friendship. It was that he was actually opening up, and coming to her to talk. Something he had never done before.

Harry took a shuddering breath. His emotions raged at him, still a bit raw from the past 4 days of just constant bombardment. After he had come to his room last night Harry had thought for a long while, instead of just using the floating menu above the bed to rest like he usually did. Harry realized that in the entirety of his summer, he had never spent a true moment with his most steadfast friend. It was the bite of loss from past memories mixed with missing the bushy haired girl, who had so often stood by his side, that brought Harry to her door. Hermione's hand rested on his back, gentle in its reassurance.

"Am I doing this right?" Harry asked suddenly.

"Doing what right?" Hermione asked in response.

"This. All of this. Emancipating myself, building a manor, living this almost reckless lifestyle, and then dueling Lord Greengrass. Now I'm saddled with the responsibility of Daphne, and especially Astoria's well-being I… I just don't know what to do. I'm not ready for all of that. Caring for myself, I can do that. But I had no idea Astoria's sickness affected her so. I had no idea." Harry ranted for a moment, and then slowly his tears started to fall. He had no idea what he was going to do. The only side to Astoria he had seen so far had been a bubbly girl so full of life, and now the reality of what the poor girl went through on a weekly basis was revealed to Harry. Daphne had also revealed that most of her ancestors who suffered from the same thing didn't live past 35. So short of a life for a witch or wizard who often had lives over 150 years old. He didn't know what he would do, being responsible for the girl now and dealing with the knowledge of what Astoria went through.

Hermione merely pulled Harry close when his tears started to fall, for once not having the boy fight her at the contact. She had inferred a lot at Harry's life, but never really pried. Hermione had known what it meant when Ron had detailed the living situation of Harry when the Weasley brothers had rescued him from the Dursely's last summer. It was the knowledge of the fact that Harry had went through that, the full scope of which probably hadn't been shared with anyone, but still somehow emerging out the other side as the selfless, brave, chivalrous, and caring boy that she knew him to be that gave Hermione an immense respect of the young Lord. So she pulled him into a warm embrace, letting Harry cry into her chest, as the boy finally opened up to her and let out some of that pain that he carried around all the time.

***Break***

Harry felt much lighter, and lighter still by the moment, as he let himself be held by Hermione. It was a hard thing for him, to realize that he wasn't quite as strong as he portrayed. It was the easy camaraderie that Hermione had provided yesterday, never once blaming him for everything that had happened, that had ignited his emotions and sparked the pang of loss Harry hadn't realized he had had at the lack of his best friends by his side. Especially Hermione. Ron may be the older friend, just barely, but even in his past life it had been Hermione that was his most stable presence in his crazy life. No hardship, no trial, bar a very rare few, had lacked Hermione's steadfast presence. So when his life had gotten just a little bit more complicated yesterday as Astoria's situation had been revealed, it was that presence that he let himself turn to instead of trying to deal with it all alone.

Hermione pulled Harry further onto the bed, as they had been in an awkward position before and it was not comfortable, and Harry moved compliantly. She maneuvered the pillows a bit with a free hand and rested back, letting Harry rest his head onto her. The bushy haired bookworm was honestly a bit surprised at what was happening. Never had Harry shown such emotion with her. But it also warmed her heart, being able, suddenly and surprisingly, to give back a little bit of support for the boy that always seemed to carry the weight of everyone around him.

They stayed like that for a long while, Harry eventually wrapping his arms around her stomach and resting more of his weight onto her. Hermione didn't complain though. She ran her fingers through his shockingly soft hair and let him take as long as he needed.

***Break***

It was a refreshed Harry that stood up in front of the crowd at the Ministry. Indeed he felt lighter than he had in a long long while. Harry shot a smile at Hermione who was behind him on the stage with Daphne, the gratefulness at his friend's unquestioning support clear in his eyes. Hermione smiled back. Harry grinned at Arthur Weasley and most of the Weasley clan that was also behind him, even young Ginny who was a bit teary eyed from the reminder of the Chamber but still standing strong. Ron stood at his side, the tension between the both still a little clear.

They were at the Order of Merlin Award Ceremony. Harry was surprised that Cornelius had actually gone through with it, but here they were. Both Harry and Ron turned their attention to the Minister as the pudgy man finally quieted the crowd.

"Thank you, thank you. And thank you all for coming to this long overdue ceremony. Earlier this summer, Harry Potter shocked us all with his retelling of the events that had plagued the illustrious school of Hogwarts and then again when he vowed upon his magic as to their authenticity. Well clearly, Lord Potter has not lost his magic!" Cornelius reminded the crowd of the duel that Harry had fought, and many in the crowded Atrium cheered, "So we stand here now. When the school of Hogwarts was plagued last term by a string of Petrifications we were all rightfully worried. But 2 young Gryffindors rose to the challenge. With courage dwarfing that of even some decorated Aurors, the pair of young 2nd years delved into the Chamber of Secrets and confronted, amazingly, a very old and by all accounts very large Basilisk. They emerged from this ordeal victorious and it is with great honor that I stand here today to present an Order of Merlin, First Class, as well as an award of Special Services to the School, to both Ronald Bilius Weasley and Lord Harry James Potter!"

The crowd erupted as the duo of a golden medal with a green ribbon and large engraved plaque each were levitated over to Ron and Harry along with a small satchel of money, to contain 1,000 Galleons. Ronald was beaming, in spite of the large black eye he was sporting, as the crowd cheered. The boy, the youngest of the Weasley males, finally had something that his brothers did not. And 1,000 Galleons to boot! For a boy who got 3 Sickles a week as an allowance, it was a fortune. Harry merely smiled and waved at the crowd. He didn't really care for recognition, and hardly needed the money. When he had made his demand to have Ron awarded the same Award it had been to pay his friend back and give him some recognition in the eyes of the public. The plaque for Special Services was a nice touch, Harry admitted, but honestly after the fight yesterday between Ron and Harry the whole thing was a bit soured for him. Harry wasn't going to ruin the moment for Ron though, who looked postively thrilled.

***Break***

"Hurry up!" Harry called up the stairs. He had loaded everything he would even possibly need into his Inventory which now sported a staggering 3600 slots. Harry could not dream of a moment where he would need that many slots but merely enjoyed the freedoms it allowed him. He was dressed in his finest Acromantula Silk robes in preparation for their departure. This was it, Harry thought, the day he would finally be heading to Hogwarts. What an honestly crazy summer. It had so many ups and downs that it felt like it had gone on forever.

"Shut up! Where the hell are my parchment and quills?" Astoria called back. The sound of bangs and thumps resounded from Astoria's rooms.

"Tori! Language!" Both Hermione and Daphne called out from their own rooms, and Harry chuckled. Hermione had started using the nickname for the younger sister yesterday accidentally and it had stuck. Neither older girl stood for improper language, one of only a few similarities the girls shared.

"Dobby! Go help Astoria!" Harry ordered and heard a pop and a cry of fright from the girl upstairs as Dobby must have popped in on her unexpectedly. Chuckling once more Harry headed up the stairs to see where he could be of assistance.

He started with Hermione, a gentle knock on the door granting him access. The girl had apparently brought quite a few things out yesterday to show Astoria, and so was more unpacked than the would have been otherwise. Now she was having trouble locating her Charms textbook.

"What's the book?" Harry asked her, once he realized what was holding her up.

"Charms: A Charming Thesis of Enchanting Arts" Hermione replied, "It's about this big with a blue cover and I cannot find it anywhere!"

Harry did his best to picture the book in his head, and held up his hand. "Accio Book"

From the bathroom of all places the book rattled against the door in a vain attempt to get through. Harry kept up the spell, knowing that to drop Hermione's book would spell his demise. He carefully opened the door and retrieved the book from the other side. Harry handed it to a grateful Hermione who placed it on top of her things and closed her trunk.

"Dolly!" Harry stated firmly and the female Elf popped in to bring the trunk to the entryway.

One down, he headed to the youngest Greengrass's room while Hermione headed downstairs to get herself a plate of the breakfast Harry had prepared. She had been suitably wowed by his cooking prowess the past couple of days and did not want to miss out on what was surely a delicious meal. Harry made it to Astoria's door and knocked.

Astoria, who had received her treatment the day before, was back to her bubbly self once more and showed that energy with how she ripped open the door. "What?" She ordered.

"Whoa, killer. Just here to see if I can help." Harry laughed at the tiny girl, the picture of fiestiness which was honestly adorable in such a tiny package.

Astoria looked relieved at his offer and let him in. Astoria's room was slowly becoming her own. The walls were a pastel purple and light pink, the colors complementary. Her bedspread that Harry had picked out for her was a constellation, Libra, like the girl's birth sign. The bookcase was packed full, many of the books being from Harry's own Library that the girl had picked out for future reading. The desk however looked like it had not been touched.

"Alright, what are you missing?" Harry asked, and stepped over the girl's trunk that she had pulled into the middle of the room.

"I'm missing my corset, my shoes. Honestly I don't even know." Astoria looked around worried, not wanting to leave anything behind. Her equipment was with Harry's things and he was going to be bringing it to Madam Pomfrey when they got to Hogwarts.

"Okay, okay. No worries. Accio Astoria's Shoes" Harry tried the same spell as before. What he wasn't prepared for however was to be assaulted by a blast of footwear from deep within her closet. There must be like 10 pairs, Harry thought to himself as the footwear careened towards him. Quick as a flash he deftly caught each shoe as it came and tossed it to her trunk, Seeker reflexes paying off. Astoria watched in amazement at Harry's quick hands.

_Fisticuffs Skill has increased! It is now 3!_

_Fisticuffs Skill has increased! It is now 4!_

Surprised at the skill that the Game associated with catching flying footwear Harry merely noted the exercise for future use as potential training material. He would probably stick with conjured balls or the like, instead of shoes, but figured that that would produce the same result.

"Alright, shoes secure. You probably don't need 10 pairs though, so be sure to put a few away." Harry ruffled Astoria's hair as he was prone to do, earning him a kick to the rear in response, as he walked by and headed to the closet. The kick was ignored, honestly not even costing Harry any Health, and he stepped into the absolute mess that was Astoria's closet.

"I'm not going to find something I don't want to see in here am I?" Harry joked as he sorted through her pile of clothes.

"I don't know, you seemed to like my sister's brassiere just fine the other day" Astoria shot back, sorting her hair out in the mirror by her bed. She laughed when she heard a thump and a grunt from Harry inside her closet, when he had jumped at the reminder and hit his head on a shelf.

"Brat. Not like your tiny chest has anything like that in here" Harry returned fire and dodged the hairbrush that Astoria tried to throw at him, laughing.

He tossed a few more things, and then found the corset. "This one?" He held it out the door.

"You found it!" Astoria cheered and rushed over to grab it. It joined the rest of the clothes in her trunk.

"Anything else? Bear in mind that Dobby can probably bring us anything you find yourself forgetting." Harry reminded the girl.

"That's true. But no, I think that's everything" Astoria closed her trunk.

"Good, there's some breakfast downstairs so go eat. Dolly! Trunk, entryway, you know the drill" Mama Harry once more came to bear, and Astoria skipped off down the hall to get some food.

Daphne was next. Harry scratched his head as he looked at her door. Things had been a bit awkward since he had caught the girl in her underwear, and they had shot many looks at one another since. Harry decided that there wasn't much he could do about it besides move on, he knocked gently on the door.

"Come in," came Daphne's soft voice.

"Oh, I thought you were Astoria" Daphne said as she looked over at Harry. She was gently folding some clothes and packing her trunk neatly. Despite years of having a House Elf there were certain things she liked to do for herself and packing was one of them.

"Sorry, I can leave if you'd like," Harry scratched his head once more, a little nervous.

"No, it's fine you can come in," Daphne replied evenly. She folded a blouse and added it to the trunk.

"Okay. Anything I can do to help?" Harry asked the girl.

"Hmm. You can come fold with me I guess" She eventually decided. Her school supplies were already safely in her trunk where they had been since she first moved into the room.

Harry nodded and walked over to sit next to the girl. She had a surprising amount of clothes, one of the Heiress's few vices, so still had a large pile next to her.

Daphne's room was much neater than Astoria's, being a more fastidious person than her sister. The forest green walls with silver detailing, similar to Harry's own, gave the room a much more mellow energy. She had, at Harry's permission of course, exchanged the furniture which had been plain and white with dark and rich Oak furniture. Harry made it to the bed, which had a simple dark gray bedspread.

Together they sat in companionable silence, Harry once more surprising Daphne with how elegantly he folded the clothes, not knowing that the task had been a common chore for him with the Dursleys with Petunia accepting nothing less than the best. None of that even crossed Harry's mind and he actually found himself enjoying the simple task.

The pile slowly shrank, until "Err… Daphne?" drew her attention to the Lord seated next to her.

Harry was holding what had looked to him at first glance like a small thing of lace. He had picked it up without a thought before realizing what exactly he was holding when he had started to fold it. Daphne's eyes were wide and blush very obvious as she came to the cold realization that Harry Potter was holding her pair of lace panties.

Her hand shot forward in a flash and pulled it out of Harry's hands then threw it into the trunk like it was on fire. Daphne had thought that all of that sort of clothing had been put into the bottom of the trunk otherwise she would have never accepted Harry's help. She remembered when Tracey had convinced the girl to get the pair, the piece unique in her wardrobe and the primary reason that she had forgotten about its existence. Harry's blush matched her own as the boy's imagination got the best of him.

"You will say nothing about this," Daphne said warningly.

"Yep," Harry said, already walking out of the room.

***Break***

They gathered together in the breakfast nook, Daphne joining them after a few more minutes. Harry noted that no sign of her earlier blush was showing. Harry and Daphne kept their composure and ate the meal that Harry had prepared, keeping it light and snacky with some scones and danishes so that they all would have an appetite on the train for when the Sweets Trolley passed their compartments.

Harry took away the dishes as was his norm and sent them to washing, as was his norm, with a spoken spell. He mentally thanked Molly for teaching him some of the woman's tricks and trades of housekeeping she had picked up in her years as a housewife.

_Charms Skill has increased! It is now 58!_

"Need anything else before we go?" Harry asked the group and they all replied with various nays. He pocketed his wand and checked his robes and attire once more. Daphne reached over without a word and straightened his collar.

"Thanks," Harry said with a smile.

Daphne nodded and Astoria spoke up, "Let's goooo" the girl clearly excited to see the train hurried them along.

"Dobby! Dolly! We're headed out. Keep the house in order, Dobby, I hereby lift your ban from the kitchen and demand you repaint the shed something sensible. Dolly, keep an eye on Balto, like we discussed. I expect him to be house trained and no longer jumping all over the furniture when we return for the holidays." At the mention of her dog, and the reminder that she would be leaving him behind, Astoria rushed over to the pooch and gave him a hug. She was crying softly, wishing that she could bring the dog with her. Balto merely made her giggle by licking away the tears.

Daphne fussed over her sister, brushing off dog hair and fixing her mussed up collar, when the girl rejoined them. She thanked Harry with an appreciative smile when he Vanished the hair away with a silent wave.

"Alright. Dobby, be sure to pop over if something comes up. Try not to burn the house down. Everyone got their trunks?" Harry looked around and they headed off.

"Where's your trunk, Harry?" Astoria asked as they walked to the entryway together. Hermione was drawn back into her book, and was reading it as she walked. The girl's multitasking capabilities never ceased to amaze Harry.

"Right here," Harry patted his chest pocket. Not technically true, the trunk was in his Inventory, but it wasn't technically wrong either.

"That's not fair, why didn't you shrink ours?" Astoria whined, already annoyed at dragging her trunk along.

"Why, tradition of course," Harry laughed and they all gathered into the Portkey spot. He had gotten a One-Way Portkey for a pretty decent price, and the group collectively all placed a hand on the rope.

"King's Cross Station" Harry said the activating phrase, and with a swirl of magic they disappeared from Potter Manor.

*Fin*

A/N: Holy mother of god. 20k words. The largest chapter yet but I had to tie up a bunch of stuff. I sincerely hope you all enjoyed this chapter.

Review answers below.

Frankieu: Astoria got a lot of screen time in this one, and the Older Brother/Little Sister relationship that is beginning to form between her and Harry. I hope you enjoyed her and thank you for the review!

Jmartinez8089: Astoria's existence isn't hidden so much as well guarded. She hasn't gotten a lot of public attention and her Malediction is considered impolite to talk about if you're not Daphne, Jackson, or Astoria. That will come up in the future but I hope it helps clear it up a bit for you. Thank you for the review!

Adrian King1: This chapter's for you buddy, honestly. Astoria, my interpretation of her anyways, is based off of a close personal friend of mine who was diagnosed with a terminal illness at a young age. Despite that heavy cloud that friend was just one big ray of sunshine up until the day she passed. I miss her terribly and it feels good to immortalize her just a bit through Astoria. Thank you for the review!

TheGreatBubbaJ: I'll keep thinking of ways to curveball you, just you wait. We get to see some of how protective Harry is of Daphne and Astoria while also how he deals with the attraction he is starting to feel very heavily for Daphne this chapter.

Dragonladysally: Thank you for the review! I'd agree with you if this didn't turn into a 20k word chapter of its own.

Soryuken: Thank you so much for this review! I tried really hard the last few chapters to really make each character feel unique, I just hope I can keep it up. They have a personality now though so I'll be able to make the story flow a little better and quicker in the future.

Dragonhitter: Thank you for the review! I really appreciate your words!

AvidReader2425: Thank you for the review! This was a meaty one so I hope you're enjoying it. Also damn! You are awesome! You took me from 190 reviews past 200 like nothing! Thank you for being my 200th review!

Kairan1979: True, but he worked on the skills that he wanted to work on. His 13 Strength is pretty dang high for his age though so he's honestly kind of a monster strength-wise right now.

Phineas Garcia-Shapiro Flynn: Dobby is the best. I'm using him as comic relief and background logistics right now but I always enjoy any scene I feature him in. Dolly will come into it a bit more but she's still settling into her new role now and dealing with Dobby's eccentric House Elf habits as Head Elf. Really happy to hear that you enjoyed the introspective parts. I had a couple in here but that was just to get some Harry/Hermione interactions rolling and expand a bit on some relationships.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts! IT IS TIIIIIIIIIIIIIME! Whew! What a journey it has been so far. What honestly started as a lazy sunday writing prompt I'd been wanting to try for a while has turned into this dark and honestly a little angsty freaking wonderland for me. I've learned so much from this journey that I just wanted to take a moment to thank you all for following alongside me on this adventure. Each review is read and responded to, unless of course your name is AvidReader2425 who has taken me past 200 reviews with a staggering 15 reviews so far back to back and I just couldn't respond to them all, and whenever I hit a block you all have blown wind back into my sails with some of the reviews I've seen. Seriously, thank you all for coming with me through this and leaving such awesome comments.

And away we go!

Chapter 17: Hogwarts Express, Hannah Abbott, and Helping Hands.

The red steam engine puffed black smoke into the air, alongside a slightly smoky smell, and the buzz of activity and excitement for a new year radiated all around them. Like every year the platform was busy as all families of attending students were present and greeting old friends and new. Astoria looked around in wonder. She had never seen so many people, the closest experience she could remember was when she had attended her first and only gala at the age of 5. That was dwarfed both in size and energy with the crowd around her now. Only her hand, held firmly by Daphne once the group had arrived by Portkey, kept the girl from running off.

Hermione headed off to get a compartment, a strong desire to get back to her book prompting her to leave the group. Harry looked around, noting some faces that he remembered from both of his lives. There were a lot of them, and the infectious excitement on Platform 9 ¾ was palpable.

"What do you think, Astoria?" Harry grinned at the younger sister whose wide-eyed wonder was adorable.

"This thing takes us all the way to Hogwarts? How does it move?" Astoria looked up and down the train.

"It uses coal and water to power the engine, instead of petrol," Harry explained, the girl now knowing what those meant after reading the books that Harry had leant her, "And also a fair bit of magic. It's honestly one of the better magical accomplishments over the past 150 years, and a rare moment of Muggle favouritism when Minister Gambol put the Express to use."

Daphne noted the history of the Express, which she had never bothered to learn before, and the information was easily absorbed by the sponge that was Astoria's mind. While they didn't subscribe completely to the Pureblood Supremacy movement, they had been shaped by its presence whether they were aware of it or not.

"I'm going to mingle some, there's Lord Abbott over there and I never got a chance to send him a letter thanking him for the other day." Harry commented to the girls, and Daphne nodded approvingly at Harry in response.

"Did you want to sit together? Or find your own compartments?" Harry wondered aloud. He was fine with either option but hadn't asked Daphne about it before.

"I think sitting together would be best, for Astoria. I'm sure Malfoy would relish the chance of some revenge against my sister" Daphne observed idly.

"That's a good point. Hermione probably already picked out a compartment" Harry ignored the urge to mess with Astoria's hair and instead placed a warm hand on her shoulder.

"Ooo, I hope she's near the front. I want to meet the conduck guy" Astoria commented, starting to overflow with energy.

Daphne led the excited sister onto the train with a small smile at Harry, and Harry walked over to Lord Abbott.

"Lord Abbott! Hello, I never got a chance to check in on you with how crazy everything was. It's so good to see you once more in good health." Harry shook the man's hand when Lord Abbott turned around excited to see Harry.

"Lord Potter, as I live and breathe! Dreadful business, that whole duel, but you handled it most capably. Thank you for tending to my injuries." John Abbot replied jovially.

"Hannah, lovely to see you. I hope it's a good summer for you." Harry leaned down and kissed Hannah's hand. The girl had been fairly supportive of Harry amid the whole Heir of Slytherin business, so he chose to greet her more formally than her station required of him as a sign of respect.

Hannah blushed at the contact to her hand. She was still shocked that this was the same Harry Potter that had left last year. It was like a whole new person, even if you ignored the change in haircolor. Harry had seemed to have grown 16 centimeters, and gained a stone at least in weight. Hannah admitted privately to herself that she had found the younger Harry scrawny and goofy looking, but this Harry? Why he was positively hunky.

"Thank you, Lord Potter. And thank you for saving my father. I don't know what my mother and I would have done if anything had happened to him," Hannah looked up at her father, smiling.

"Of course. I couldn't have lived with myself if I had let any harm come to him, and that would have paled in comparison to your loss. I should be off though, if you'll excuse me. Maybe we'll get a chance to have a butterbeer in Hogsmeade, Hannah?" Harry smiled at the girl, slightly flirtatious. Hannah blushed and nodded and Harry continued down the Platform.

_Flirting Skill has increased! It is now 45!_

Harry shook hands left and right, exchanging pleasantries with various Lords and Ladies, and keeping a mental calendar at the many invitations for visits, meetings, deals, and parties. Already his next summer, and even some of his holidays, were shaping up to be busy. Everywhere he went he seemed to leave smiles and good impressions, and even some blushes from Ladies taken in by his easy charm, though there were a few more tense exchanges with people taking offense at him breaking the status quo with his actions thus far.

_Diplomacy Skill has increased! It is now 29!_

_Diplomacy Skill has increased! It is now 30!_

_Diplomacy Skill has increased! It is now 31!_

_Intimidation Skill has increased! It is now 31!_

_Etiquette Skill has increased! It is now 35!_

_Etiquette Skill has increased! It is now 36!_

_Etiquette Skill has increased! It is now 37!_

_Etiquette Skill has increased! It is now 38!_

_Flirting Skill has increased! It is now 46!_

A call of, "Harry!" broke him from his route and Neville Longbottom called him over.

"Neville! Good to see you, mate! Madam Longbottom, a pleasure" Harry said once he made his way over. He bowed low to the old yet still intense woman. She didn't smile at him, but her eyes softened just a hair.

"Lord Potter. You did an old woman proud, Jackson Greengrass has been a thorn in my side for over a decade now." Madam Longbottom thanked the boy, in her strange way.

"Old woman? Marchbanks?" Harry joked, and finally got a small smile from Neville's grandmother when he named one of the few witches older than the Madam as if she hadn't been talking about herself.

"Are you excited for a new year this year, Harry?" Neville chimed in.

"Of course. I've been wanting to come back to Hogwarts almost since I left" Harry admitted, and it was true. As good of a home as he now had, the Castle would always hold a special place in his heart. Of course, Harry hadn't been gone from the Castle as long as his classmates but they didn't need to know that.

"Agreed! I can't wait for Herbology this year. We're going to be using Greenhouse 5!" Neville's one true love, plants, was always interesting to Harry who had never really considered Herbology the most fun class. The rare times that he had paired with the boy had definitely numbered among his more liked lessons in the class, though. Some people had a green thumb but Neville seemed to have a green arm.

"Hopefully I'll get to pair with you some more this year. I could use some good marks in that class, and you're always good to go to if I'm lost in the lesson," Harry praised the boy. Neville looked sheepish at the praise, but also thankful as it brought out an approving eye from his grandmother.

The warning whistle from the train broke them from their small talk, "Well, I should go find Hermione. It might be a bit crowded but you're welcome to sit with us if you'd like Neville, so we can catch up. I'll catch you on the train though. Madam Longbottom, would it be alright if I sent you a few letters? I'm looking to keep apprised of the Wizengamot meetings in preparation of my attendance and from what I hear you haven't missed a session in 25 years. No small feat" Harry spoke, easily mixing friendship, etiquette, praise, and diplomacy.

_Diplomacy Skill has increased! It is now 32!_

"I would think that quite alright, Lord Potter." Madam Longbottom agreed. A look of approval was clear on her face. Her boy Neville could learn a thing or two from Lord Potter, she thought, and hoped her grandson would look to learn them.

With a nod to the woman at her words, and a wave to Neville, Harry dashed off to the train. He ably dodged through the crowd, even surprising a few people with quick turns and once with a jump over a moving trolley.

_Jumping Skill has increased! It is now 19!_

Harry made it to the train before the 2nd warning whistle, and started off down the corridor.

***Break***

The train was no less busy as the Platform, the hallway crowded with students lugging heavy trunks and wrangling feisty pets. Crookshanks, whom Hermione had purchased during her time in the Alley with the Weasleys, had been scared of Balto and stayed in Hermione's room in a crate but was now likely accepting pets from Hermione while she read her book in whichever compartment she had chosen. Harry knew from past experience that the Golden Trio had usually picked a compartment in the back but that was largely due to Ron's preference and the typically late arrival from the Weasley Clan. They had gotten there early though, so Hermione could now be anywhere.

Harry exchanged pleasantries with a few people who recognized him and were brave enough to talk, receiving compliments regularly for his new clothes and his more confident personality. Any student that had been at his party greeted him more enthusiastically than they normally would have, and Harry knew that he had likely built a lot of bridges that his previous life had lacked.

"Oh, Katie, nice to see you. Here let me help with that" Harry greeted his teammate Katie Bell, who had been trying to get her trunk into the compartment. Harry smiled at the girl and without waiting for her reply easily levitated the trunk up into the rack.

With a grateful smile Katie replied, "Thank you, Harry. I can't wait to be able to do that next year after OWLs."

"It's definitely taken some getting used to. I almost forget that I'm allowed to use my wand sometimes, and will just lift up trunks without even realizing it." Harry admitted to the girl, reminded of his lifting Hermione's trunk. He really needed to remember to use Magic more often.

"Just don't let it make you lazy, or Oliver will have us doing extra practices to keep us in shape" Katie joked, and they shared a laugh at their Quidditch Captain's obsessive nature.

"Nonsense. One look at you, and Oliver can't say that at least one of us isn't keeping in shape." Harry grinned mischievously. He gave himself a pat on the back when the older girl blushed at his compliment. It was true, Katie Bell, who impressively joined the Quidditch team in her 2nd year, was one of the few true sporty type girls in the school.

"Watch yourself, Potter" Katie grinned at the boy, and swatted his arm. She almost wanted to reach back out to the arm in curiosity though as it was significantly harder than Katie would have guessed.

"Will do, and you can watch me too, Katie Bell," And Harry walked away with an absolutely ridiculous sashay in his hips making the girl behind him guffaw at his antics.

Grinning, Harry continued his quest down the aisle. He saw a few more opportunities to help out some people, even earning some wide eyed looks from some First-Years as he ably hefted their trunks up into their racks. He made sure to let the firsties know that if they ever needed anything just let him know. They were in awe of Harry's easy confidence and friendly disposition, and agreed to take him up on it.

_Weightlifting Skill has increased! It is now 17!_

_Weightlifting Skill has increased! It is now 18!_

It was as he was making these rounds that he came on to a bit of trouble. Malfoy. The greasy ferret was apparently taking offense at a group of 2nd year Slytherins that wouldn't vacate the compartment he wanted to use.

"Heir Malfoy! So good to see your face! I was running low on buffing oil for my Firebolt so I was wondering if I could use some from your hair?" Harry jovially walked up to the blonde boy, even putting his arm around Draco as if Draco was an old friend.

"Potter!" Malfoy spat, trying to move the arm away from him but finding that he could not.

"Malfoy!" Harry replied, the same jovial tone in his voice but his arm tightening just a bit. Crabbe and Goyle, the 2 meatheads that they were, looked confused by Draco's inability to remove the arm.

"And Crabbe and Goyle. Hello. Did you have a good summer?" Harry asked. The 2nd years in the compartment were watching in awe as a Gryffindor of all people was stopping the harassment, though in a weird way.

"Yeah, actually," Gregory Goyle started to stupidly reply.

"Don't talk to him idiot! Get him off me!" Malfoy cried, the arm around his shoulders wouldn't budge. The train hadn't started moving yet either so magic was still largely forbidden for underage students. He was stuck.

Finally realizing their boss was in trouble, the two boys rushed at Harry who looked largely unconcerned. Crabbe's meaty hand came down as if to punch him and Harry just rolled his body until.

"OW! YOU STUPID IDIOT! PUNCH HIM, NOT ME!" Malfoy raged at his henchman, who hadn't noticed Harry's movements in time to stop his fist from hitting Malfoy's face. A large grin was on Harry's face, he would definitely be putting more points in Strength. This was fun.

Goyle tried to rush at the boy as well, but Harry just stepped around Malfoy and again used the blonde boy as a shield. Goyle's tackling rush knocked the wind out of Draco and Harry let the boy go in time to send them both tumbling to the ground.

"What is this nonsense! Stop, or you'll be putting your houses into the negatives before we get to school!" Penelope Clearwater had shown up at the sounds of the scuffling. Harry smiled at the curly haired girl, while Goyle and Malfoy tried to untangle themselves.

"Malfoy! What do you have to say for yourself?" The 7th year ordered the boy, having recognized the pompous boy's loud voice when he had ordered his henchman to attack Harry.

"Me? Potter started this!" Malfoy seethed, and finally succeeded in standing up.

"Moi? I was merely greeting a dear friend. Your boyfriends seemed to have taken offense though and tried to accost me!" Harry joked at the boy. One of the 2nd years inside snorted heartily.

"Is that true, Harry? Did you start this?" Penelope asked Lord Potter.

"Absolutely not. I saw Malfoy here talking to some 2nd years, and wanted to greet him. Crabbe took offense at what he must have thought was infidelity, and in his outrage punched his boyfriend! I was shocked, of course, and when I stepped away thinking I had caused offense Goyle seemed to be of the same mind and tackled Malfoy!" Harry spun the facts to his favor, doing his absolute best to hide his grin.

Penelope too, though knowing that Harry was probably lying about a few things, especially the boyfriend part, seemed to be doing her best to hide a smirk. Ever the proper Prefect though, she stuck her head into the compartment seeing 3 2nd year Slytherins inside.

"Is all of that true?" She asked the group, 2 girls and a boy.

It was the boy that spoke up, "That's how it looked to us. Lord Potter put his arm around Heir Malfoy and Crabbe and Goyle just exploded on him! Lord Potter never threw a fist!"

"Detention, all 3 of you. I'd remove points if not for these 2nd years choosing honesty over House loyalty. Go to your compartments, or I'll be having a word with Professor Flitwick when we get to the school." Penelope warned Malfoy and his cronies. Malfoy was seething, but knew he couldn't press his luck. He shot one last look at Potter, promising revenge, before he straightened his collar and strutted away with Crabbe and Goyle.

"Thank you, Ms. Clearwater. I had no idea what I was going to do there, to think I may have ruined young love!" Harry quipped and once more the 2nd year girl inside snorted. Harry sent the girl a grin, earning him a blush.

"That's quite enough out of you, Mr. Potter. Run along now, and no more trouble" Penelope warned, though she only half meant it. Harry nodded, smiled, and continued on his way.

***Break***

Hermione looked up when the compartment door opened for. She was curled up with Crookshanks, who seemed to be enjoying himself based on the loud purring, as both Hermione and Astoria gave the cat as many pets as the proud Half-Kneazle would tolerate.

"Harry! Glad you found us before the train started moving. Can you help us with these?" Astoria's puppy dog eyes looked at him.

Harry looked down at the trunks that the girls had left on the ground, Daphne's as well, though the noble girl looked apologetic from her place by the window.

"Not a problem." Harry grinned and opted for physical prowess over magical. Astoria watched closely as her Head of House easily lifted each trunk and secured it in the rack. She would never get tired of watching Harry manhandle things, Astoria thought to herself. Daphne was shooting her sister a warning look at the younger girl's wandering eyes, only receiving a stuck out tongue in response.

"That ought to do it. Can I sit here?" Harry motioned to the spot next to Daphne, always keeping up an air of propriety for the girl's sake. Daphne nodded and Harry sat down on the seat.

"What took you so long Harry? The train is set to leave in a few minutes." Hermione chided the boy, but didn't look up from her book.

"I was making some new acquaintances, no shortage of Lords and Ladies on the platform. Then once I boarded the train to look for you all I kept running into people. Helped some first years, bugged Malfoy, and finally made it." Harry explained for Hermione, knowing the girl would want all the details.

"Bugged Malfoy?" Hermione looked worried, already the start of a fresh year and Harry was picking fights?

"Don't worry, I was the definition of professionalism. Malfoy and his 2 pals received detention though," Harry made sure to omit just enough to draw Hermione deeper into her curious nature, and when she requested more details Harry gave them all the full story.

"Hahaha! Oh I wish I had been there to see that. That's the boy that was rude to you, right Daph?" Astoria laughed and looked at Daphne.

"Yes." Was Daphne's only response. Never one to use more words that needed, Harry noted.

Hermione seemed appeased by Harry's story and returned once more to her Transfiguration book. Her attention was broken once more when a knock came at their compartment door.

"Neville! Here, mate." Harry hefted the boy's trunk up to the rack. Harry glanced around for a moment, there was just enough room for the boy between Hermione and Astoria, both girls being slighter than most, and he motioned to the seat after confirming that it was okay with both of them.

"Thanks, Harry. That trunk seems to get heavier every year" Neville smiled shyly at Harry, impressed by the boy's strength. Neville hadn't even had time to offer to help him.

"I know what you mean. I keep mine shrunken, right here, now that I can do Magic outside of school," Harry patted his chest pocket.

"Yeah, and you won't do the same for the rest of us, you meanie," Astoria huffed in annoyance, her shoulder was still a bit sore from pulling the trunk. She wasn't used to much physical exertion.

"All part of the tradition, Astoria. But where are my manners. Neville, you know Hermione and Daphne, but this lovely bundle of sunshine and rage is Astoria Greengrass. She's starting this year" Harry introduced them all and Neville nodded to each of them in turn. Astoria glared at Harry for calling her a bundle of rage, only earning her a cheeky grin from the redhead. She made sure to smile in welcome at the Longbottom heir, who she admitted that while kind of chunky still had a cute face.

The train let out its last warning whistle, the 3 minute warning, and the activity still on the Platform seen through their window seemed to double in intensity as goodbyes were hurried along and students rushed the train. Like clockwork, the Platform's entrance admitted the Weasley Clan to the Platform. Harry chuckled quietly to himself when he saw Molly pushing her kids along, looking like a shepherd who was cursed with rowdy sheep. Ron's eye seemed to be clearing up nicely, Harry noted.

***Break***

_Opportunity Lost! Failed to fully explore the Alley by the end of Summer! Hidden Reward: Map of London and 10 Skill Points Lost!_

The train was rolling along, and the atmosphere in the compartment was relaxed. Astoria had seemed to win over Neville quickly but lose points from Daphne, as the precocious girl had her feet up on Neville's lap and was buried in a book where she could ignore Daphne's disapproving look. At least the girl's long skirt was adjusted properly, Daphne thought to herself. Crookshanks had moved up into the rack, Harry easily able to decipher the cat's look it had sent him and letting the cat use his leg as a springboard, once Crookshanks realized he wouldn't be getting a double helping of pets anymore. Hermione had settled in comfortably.

Daphne, though, Harry couldn't believe that the girl could sit up so straight for such long stretches of time. They had been on the train for about an hour now, and she hadn't once dropped her posture. Even Neville, who had gone through much of the same training as the Greengrass Heir, was slouched in his seat and chatting with Harry about some of the stuff they were set to learn this year.

"Puffapods can actually cause dizziness, and are needed to be handled with care as they will bloom on almost any hard surface. They're wonderful plants though" Neville seemed excited to be talking about plants, as always, but Harry was the only one really responding with 2 readers and a girl that seemed more interested in the scenery rolling by.

"That's true, they're used in a variety of Potions for their traits of spontaneity and accelerated growth" Harry agreed, shocking Neville with his wealth of knowledge that he had seemed to acquire in preparation of taking extra electives.

"You've worked with them before?" Neville eyed Harry jealously. His grandmother had not let Neville get a seedling of the plant as it would cause disasters if dropped and Neville wasn't known for his grace.

"I haven't worked with the blooms, but I've done some brewing this summer to try and get Snape off my back this year and used some of their seeds. They were dried, so I didn't get to observe any traits" Harry explained to the boy.

"Get Snape off your back? Mate, if you figure out how to do that please let me know. I can't stand Potions class" Neville admitted, Harry remembering that the boy's boggart was the Potions Master.

It was as he was putting together 2 and 2, dread building in his heart at remembering how he had met Remus Lupin, that the train slammed to a stop. Astoria tumbled into the floor, dislodged by the sudden movement. Harry was up in a flash as he quickly helped the young girl up.

"Everyone get behind me." Harry said as he looked up and saw frost beginning to form on the window. Hermione looked up at Harry worriedly at the firm tone that he had.

"Harry, what's going on?" Daphne said, looking at the window in puzzlement. Frost in September on a sunny day? And growing quickly?

"They've stopped the train. Hopefully just a routine check." Harry tried to keep his tone light, but he knew what was going to be coming down the train. His head ached for a moment, as if something was trying to affect it, but blessedly the Gamer powers seemed to make him immune to Dementors.

Neville wasn't quite so lucky, "Who is laughing like that?" He asked, fear clear in his voice. There was no laughter that Harry could hear.

"What do you mean? No one is laughing," Hermione said to her fellow Gryffindor, looking worried as Neville was looking around them in a fright.

The only sound they could hear was shouts of fright and crying that seemed to be building up in volume. Daphne clutched her arms tightly, and squeezed into the corner of the compartment. She was so cold, and dark memories of her father wouldn't stop coming up in her mind. Astoria too seemed to be clutching herself and shivering, her mind cast back to the time that she had been told that she would die from her illness.

"What's happening, Harry?" Hermione asked through tears, memories of past failures running through her mind. She was less affected than her other traumatized friends in the compartment, but not immune to the effect of the magic around her.

"Stay low and get behind me. Everything will be alright, I promise," Harry sent the girl next to him a warm smile, wishing that the smile would fight back the cold his friends were all feeling. He gently pushed Hermione behind him and stood facing the compartment door with a steely gaze. He didn't know if he'd be able to use the Patronus Charm, memories of his past life as to the difficulties of that spell clear in his mind, but he knew he was going to try. Harry just hoped that a 58 in his Charms Skill would be enough.

The crying of the other students on the train, some more affected than most by the negative effect that a Dementor has on the mind, seemed to be getting closer. After a tense minute the door of their compartment rattled and then opened. Astoria screamed in fright at the sight of the creature on the other side of the door and Neville collapsed as the Dementor's presence hit him fully. Daphne was motionless and wide eyed while Hermione was covering her mouth to contain her breath, thinking in one naive moment, that since the creature didn't seem to have eyes that she could hide by staying still.

Harry though, like a beacon of light, stood proud and strong. "Sirius Black is not in this compartment. Leave."

The creature didn't listen, too drawn in by the delectable feast of emotions before it. It floated in and Harry growled in defiance.

"Expecto Patronum" Harry intoned, his mind cast back to the night in Spain he had shared with Tracey. The thought was too clouded by anger at his ex-girlfriend's reaction to his duel and the Game let him know what he already knew. It also bolstered him though.

_Spell Failed! Catalyst insufficient!_

It said nothing of his Skill being too low. His mind raced through past memories, and he struggled for a moment to come up with something. His worried eyes cast out over the group behind him, until he saw Daphne. The girl was shivering violently and staring off into space. Her eyes were wide, afraid, and full of tears.

Like a storm, Harry's rage at the creature grew. Then his eyes saw Astoria, who was curled up on the floor shivering as well. The small blonde, who up until that moment had been a bundle of joy and energy, looked defeated and lost. Trapped in her own mind and sobbing.

Harry's protective instinct flared to new heights, and he remembered. It had been a little thing, making breakfast for Astoria and Daphne, but the girl had been laughing. Balto barking in happiness at the bacon the girl was taunting him with, desperate for a treat. Daphne looking on with a warm smile. And Harry remembered what he had felt in that moment. Nothing but happiness in the face of what was to come, emboldened by the signs he was seeing before him that the 3 of them would get through whatever came their way. It bubbled forth, and his wand came up once more.

"Expecto. Patronum." Almost a whisper.

Harry looked on in shock, as the Patronus that erupted from his wand was not the Stag that he had gotten so used to seeing. It was a large, very large, Basilisk. The snake reared up, still connected to his wand, and struck the dementor. It sank its ethereal fangs into the dark creature, and a wail of pain sounded from behind the hooded visage of the Dementor. The noise was eerie and ear-splitting, but Harry did not let up. He walked forward and his Patronus easily pushed the Dementor back, but maintained the bite. The Dementor writhed in agony and tried desperately to dislodge itself. Harry, however, did not let up his spell. The noise from the Dementor shattered the windows nearest him in the compartments. Harry's Basilisk was blocking the negative effects of the Dementor and prompted some students to step out into the hall to investigate.

What they saw amazed them. Harry's eyes were glowing and magic seemed to swirl around him. A large ghostly snake, something that would usually strike fear in its appearance, instead warmed the student's cold hearts as the warmth the thing radiated was astounding. It was not as astounding, however, as the fact that Harry Potter was pushing a Dementor back, almost manhandling the beast with his Patronus. Harry's hand waved, and a door leading outside opened. Like a whip, Harry waved his wand and his Basilisk extended and shot forward, pushing the Dementor out the door. It retracted back into Harry's wand with a snap-like motion.

"Stay out, or I'll do that again." Harry warned the creature who seemed exhausted after its struggles. It made no motion to come back onto the train and with another wave of his hand Harry slammed the door.

The hallway was silent as Harry walked back to his compartment, eyes still glowing and hair almost fluttering in unseen wind. His mind raged at the Dementor but also at himself. How could he forget that Dementors would be coming onto the train? Harry's wand waved through the air like an afterthought, and glass tinkled quietly as the windows in the hall all repaired themselves. His compartment door was closed much more gently when he stepped back into it. None of the students that had been watching were exception to the release of breath they had all been holding at the sight they just witnessed.

***Break***

Harry dove into his Inventory and pulled out some chocolate. He had bought it long ago but the way his Inventory worked made it seem as though the candy had been bought just that morning. Harry looked at Hermione, still standing, the only one inside who had seen what transpired.

"I'd appreciate you waiting until later to ask me about that," Harry knew that it killed Hermione to wait, but the bushy haired girl also understood through his warning tone that now was not the time. Harry handed her a piece of chocolate that he had snapped off of the brick in his hand.

"Eat it, it will help," Harry said. The girl looked doubtful, until she nibbled at the chocolate and felt warmth returning to her limbs instantly.

Harry looked at Neville next, the boy still unconscious. With a wave of Harry's wand and a soft word the compartment expanded and Neville was levitated onto the bench with a conjured pillow under his head. Crouching down, Harry knew that Daphne would never forgive him if he did not tend to Astoria first.

"Tori," Harry said gently, using the pet name that until this moment he had not used. His arms went underneath the girl and Harry picked her up and held her close. The girl was sobbing and shivering but slowly the warmth of Harry seemed to reach her and she slowly uncurled. Once he was sure that the girl could stand on her own Harry put some chocolate in her hand. It took a bit of coaxing, but color began returning to the girl's skin once she was able to be prompted to have some of the high-quality chocolate Harry had given her. Astoria smiled just a bit at Harry as he led her onto the bench and conjured a thick, warm comforter for her to curl up under. The blanket was shared with Hermione next to the girl who put an arm around Astoria and let the girl cuddle up next to her.

Daphne was still staring off into nothing, shivering violently, and Harry was surprised that the girl wasn't making a sound. Ever so gently, his hand came up onto her arm. The contact seemed to shock the girl, and her head whipped around to look at him. She appeared to be looking through him, however, and Harry's concern grew.

"Daphne," Harry spoke softly, "you're okay. Astoria is okay. You're safe now"

Harry repeated the words, never raising his voice, and the mantra seemed to slowly bring Daphne back into the compartment from whatever dark corner of her mind she had been trapped in. Harry sat next to the girl, still speaking softly, and handed her some chocolate.

"Eat some, it will help you I promise." Harry broke off a small piece for her and Daphne finally put the piece in her mouth. Instantly her shivering lost some of its violent movement, color returning to Daphne's skin much like it had for Astoria. Harry glanced at Hermione and Astoria, and cocked his head to indicate Daphne. Hermione seemed to catch on to what he was implying and they left the bench that they were sharing with Neville and Astoria quickly curled up next to Daphne. Hermione stayed close, and the comforter that Harry had conjured easily covered the three girls.

Hermione looked up at Harry gratefully, only to ask "Where are you going?" when she noticed Harry by the door.

"To check on the rest of the train. Most people don't know about chocolate's countering of the Dementor's effect. I'm going to buy out the Honeyduke's Express and pass some around." Harry explained to the girl. He wanted to stay, but knew that Daphne and Astoria would be all that the 2 needed for each other at this moment. Hermione nodded at Harry and he opened the compartment door once more.

***Break***

The train had begun moving once more, Harry noted, as he stepped into the hallway. He headed first to the front of the train where he knew that the sweets trolley, Honeydukes Express, was kept. The trolley wasn't due to make its way down the train for another hour.

"You can't be up here!" A woman, the trolley lady, said to Harry as he opened the door to the storage trolley that held her stock.

"I know. Hello, my name is Harry. I was actually here to buy out your supply of chocolate," Harry said calmly to the woman.

"What?" She asked. She was still shivering a bit at invasion by the Dementors, and looked shocked when Harry smiled at her warmly.

"Chocolate counters the effects of Dementors. I wanted to buy out your stock and pass it out to the students. Here, try some," Harry offered the woman some of his own chocolate, and she looked at him doubtfully. She had a fondness for sweets though, the reason she liked her job so much, and popped the chocolate into her mouth. Her face took on a delighted look at how the warmth spread through her. Together, the woman brought in by Harry's easy charm, they agreed to a discounted price for her stockpile of chocolate. She needed to make a profit after all but also wouldn't forgive herself if she kept the wonders chocolate had made her feel in face of the Dementor's effect away from the students.

_Negotiation Skill has increased! It is now 74!_

_Diplomacy Skill has increased! It is now 33!_

The woman looked on in amazement when Harry walked through the storage trolley and the chocolate stockpiled there seemed to just disappear before her eyes. She smiled at the boy though, when he spoke once more, "Thank you so much. I'll be sure to let everyone know of Honeyduke's generosity."

Harry exited the compartment and set off down the aisles. Prefects were walking down the aisle as well, and Penelope recognized the young Lord from his troublemaking ways from before.

"Mr. Potter! You shouldn't be out here." Penelope chided him. The students were understandably restless after the Dementor's visit, and the Prefects were having to run damage control on every train.

"Ms. Clearwater. Here." Harry dropped a chocolate frog in the young woman's hand. "Try some of that. I just came from the Storage compartment and have bought out their stock."

Penelope looked at him quizzically but decided to see what he was going on about. She popped open the packaging and with a practiced hand caught the frog as it tried to make its escape. She nibbled on a bit of chocolate and looked at it in surprise.

"That's amazing!" She was impressed at the sudden effect, "Where did you learn about that?"

"Well, we haven't had many good DADA teachers, but it's my best subject. Chocolate is a good cure for exposure to Dementors. Can you let Percy or the Head Girl know that I'll be passing these around? I don't want to get stopped at every turn." Harry explained to the girl, lamenting the lack of consistent good DADA teachers over the years.

"Of course! Thank you, Mr. Potter." Penelope walked toward the Prefect's compartment where Percy was heading up the damage control the Prefects were running.

No longer harried by the Prefects, Harry knocked on each compartment door and passed around the chocolate. Grateful faces replaced doubtful eyes wherever he went. Harry conjured blankets left and right for the scared students who were still shivering after the Dementor's visit. Understanding smiles, and reassuring words, left everyone that he visited in a better mood.

Harry knocked on the next compartment, "Oi! You already checked on us, can't you leave well enough alone."

The voice was familiar to Harry and he groaned quietly. But his good guy ways were flowing strong still so instead he just opened the compartment. Inside sat Malfoy and his posse of Slytherins. Pansy was practically on top of him, her cuddling and weird worship of the boy both prompting the girl to coddle the spoiled brat.

"Potter! What do you want?" Malfoy warned the redhead, still annoyed at how the earlier confrontation had played out.

"Heir Malfoy. I come in peace. Dementor exposure is no joke, and I'm handing out chocolate, a little known cure to the effects, to all of the students." Harry explained diplomatically. He might not like the ferret but he could still see that Pansy and oddly Crabbe were both still shivering despite their attempts to hide it.

"We don't want your chocolate, Potter, now piss off!" Malfoy cursed at the boy. Harry merely looked at Draco like he was an ant.

"Lord Potter, Heir Malfoy, and you hardly speak for everyone. Here. If you change your mind." Harry levitated the chocolate into the compartment and closed the door. That boy would never learn. He heard packaging from behind the closed door and smiled to himself, at least someone saw his gesture for what it was.

It was a few more compartments before Harry came upon the Weasley brothers, Fred and George, who were sharing a compartment with Lee Jordan, and the 3 Chaser girls from his team.

"Harry! How you been, mate?" Lee Jordan happily greeted Harry. Harry grinned at the dark-skinned boy, knowing that Lee's happy attitude probably did wonders for this compartment in the wake of the Dementors.

"Been better, what with the Dementor visit and all" Harry said. He had been immune, but his heart still hurt at the remembered sight of Daphne and Astoria.

"Is that what that was? Bloody creepy buggers" Lee cursed them.

"Too right. I'm actually here for another reason though. I've been passing out chocolate to everyone and was here to drop some off" Harry appreciated the boy's candidness, but knew he shouldn't stay and chat too long. Also, Alicia seemed to be the most affected in the compartment, sandwiched in a hug between Katie and Angelina as the girl cried at whatever memory the Dementors had brought forth.

"Chocolate?" Lee Jordan asked, and once Harry explained its use everyone in the compartment accepted a piece.

"Thanks, mate" and other variations therein came from those inside and Katie looked at Harry gratefully when Alicia stopped shivering once she had some of the sweets. Harry just waved it off and continued on.

***Break***

The compartment door slid open, and Harry came face to face with Ron as the boy angrily opened the door. Whatever words were on his lips died at the sight of Harry, and not the Prefect Ron had expected. Instantly Harry could tell that the boy was angry and worried, and the sound of sobbing inside the room brought his attention to both Luna and Ginny who Ron had been sharing a compartment with.

Of course, Harry thought to himself, both the young girls' had more past demons than most. Harry nodded at Ron and easily shrugged off the hand Ron had tried to use to stop him from coming in. Harry got on one knee in front of the girls who were clutching each other in a vain attempt to calm down.

"Oi!" Ron hissed warningly, brotherly instincts coming to bear.

"Quiet, Ron," Harry chided his friend. Annoyance at Ron for his crude comments aside, Harry still considered the fellow redhead a friend even if best friend would probably be a stretch.

Harry gently got Ginny's attention, and the girl looked scared at being caught crying by her crush.

"Ginny, here. Eat some of this, and I promise you'll start to feel better" Harry handed the girl some chocolate and was actually grateful, for once, that the girl's crush on him made her readily compliant. Her tears slowed as she nibbled on the chocolate frog and Ginny looked at Harry gratefully for his actions. The tall boy ignored her though and was with Luna by her side, the girl still sobbing uncontrollably at the memory of her lost mother.

"Luna, hey. It's Harry Potter. The Dementor is gone. Can I get you to sit up a bit?" Harry gently coaxed the girl away from Ginny's robes, and finally Luna met his eyes.

"Hey. Here, have some of these. They'll chase the Nargles away for you," Harry's words were gentle, and surprising both to Ron and Ginny, as he casually mentioned one of Luna's imagined creatures.

Prompted by his words, Luna ate some of the chocolate. She devoured 2 frogs before she could speak though. "Thank you, Harry Potter. She wants me to tell you that you're doing great"

Shock and a cold feeling rushed through Harry, as Luna's odd words registered in his mind. She? Who was she? He knew that Luna had a lot of oddities, but the words rang a chord within him that couldn't be denied. Just how much did the girl in front of him know? Did she know about the Game? Did she know just who he was? He wasn't able to divine anything from staring into Luna's eyes however.

*Fin*

A/N: Oooooo, little twist at the end there for you all. Cliffhangers are fun! MUAHAHAHAHA!

Review answers below.

Phineas Garcia-Shapiro Flynn: You'll just have to wait and see how Hermione and Harry play out. He can't deny that Hermione holds a special place in his heart, and its hinted that Hermione might have some feelings of her own. Who knows where it might lead.

SeranoirStarfall: Some interesting theories and ideas! Thank you for the review! I'm not sure what direction I'll go with Astoria quite yet, but Harry is very empathetic towards the loveable girl. We'll see if he decides to try and help her out!

Beccasullivanwrites1: I loved that scene, as well as the other wholesome scenes I was able to sprinkle into that monstrosity of a chapter. We get to move a bit along now, but it was definitely a fun little arc.

Frankieu: Harry has no luck lol as seen in this chapter.

Greye05: Thank you for the review! I replied to this a couple replies up, but it's been taken into consideration. Thank you!

Dragonhitter: We get to explore a bit more with Ron while i tangle with the merits of either teaching him or tossing him. Still not 100% sure either direction. Thank you for the review!

Chunnin33: Thank you for the review!

Kayleneproctor94: I'm trying! This one was a little more Harry and a little more Gamer. I hope you all enjoyed. Thanks for the review! Both of them! Balto will be missed, but shall be featured during holidays and maybe some other parts.

DesertSandBox: We'll see! Seems you all want Harry to save her. Its in the realm of possibilities! Thank you for the review!

AvidReader2425: Like I said at the top of this one I read all of the reviews! Thanks for your continued support! Ron may come back may not, we'll see.

Nina0116: Thank you for the review! We get to see a cool and confident and caring Harry interact with some students alongside some flirting. We'll see how it goes.

Firetemplar415: Thank you, and thanks for the review!

Squoitle: Thank you Thank you! Thanks for the review, too! Means a ton!

Ratchetx7: Don't worry, I have no idea either! Thank you for the review!

TheGreatBubbaJ: Mama Harry don't take no shit. Others might be able to help him stay out of trouble but he has no problem smackin' people. A little confused what you mean about the Boons so I'll just lay out how I have them working. Every 25 points Harry get a Boon, that can either be a bonus to the Skill itself OR enhance how that Skill interacts with others. At 100, well, it will be a surprise. He has the option to hold onto those Boons for a later date, and may realize that Boons aren't set in stone like he thinks. He hasn't touched his Handbook in a long while, as Gamers are want to do, so can sometimes miss the implications. We'll see how it plays out.

Fang723: Thank you! And thanks for the review!

Adrian King1: Sometimes friends fight. Sometimes that punch to the face increases tensions for a while and then serves to temper the friendship into an even closer one. Or it ends it. We'll get to see which of these scenarios plays out for Harry. Astoria, and Harry's care for the girl, is influencing him more than he realizes right now.

Guest: Hey, we needed to build up those personalities :P I'll be moving along at a quicker click now though. Not every day of school will need to be a chapter, you know?

Gouravsilentreader: Thank you for the review!

Kairan1979: 3 reviews! I love seeing chains of reviews from readers as I get to see what you guys think as the story takes its twists and turns. Thank you so much!


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: Short and sweet. Plot twist that I hope tripped up TheGreatBubbaJ. Let's see where it goes. Everyone loves chocolate. Also, as the title suggests, the Time-Turners will make an appearance. These are going to be governed by _my _lore. Not Pottermore, not Harry Potter Wiki. Mine. So if it confuses you or you don't agree with it then you can leave a comment for me as to why, but I hope to make them believable. That scene is for you TheGreatBubbaJ.

And away we go!

Chapter 18: Trains, Thestrals, Teachers, Twins, and Time-Turners.

A whole slew of emotions ran over Harry's face. He was borderline panicking. What on earth did Luna mean? Could she speak with Fate? Was something like that even possible? Or was Luna just saying random things and by coincidence this one meant something to him.

The young blonde girl merely looked at Harry with those piercing eyes. He was able to discern nothing from her gaze. Harry could hear his heartbeat, so quiet was the compartment.

"Errr… Harry?" Ron's voice shattered Harry's thoughts like a hammer. The redheaded Lord looked at the redheaded friend. Ron looked concerned at the fact that Harry was standing there. All Luna had said to him was thank you and he just froze up.

Harry cleared his throat, and stood up trying not to show that he was freaking out. Luna's words once again cut through to him, "She also says don't worry, no one can hear what I'm saying and I won't even remember these words. Keep up the good work, Chosen, and you'll reach your goals"

Harry looked at Luna strangely, to which the girl looked largely unaffected. Indeed Luna Lovegood even looked happy about something only she was aware of, and was making Ginny laugh with the strange way she ate chocolate frogs. Who just licks a chocolate frog like that? Finally Luna's words and dichotomous actions caught up with Harry and he breathed a sigh of relief. Okay, Luna might have some Seer blood in her but that didn't mean she knew about the Game and was simply being used as a conduit for Fate to talk to him. Don't scare me like that, Fate. Harry thought to himself.

"Sorry, Ron. Just worried about them is all," Harry clapped Ron on the shoulder and moved past him to the hallway. He slid the compartment door closed as he left. There were only a few more compartments left so Harry checked each one, passing out chocolates, until shockingly he found Remus Lupin reading a book alone in the last compartment.

"Oh, sorry." Harry stammered, thinking of the last time he had seen the man. A ghostly summoning from the Resurrection Stone.

***Break***

Remus looked up from his book at the words, and was shocked. Standing before him, dressed in well tailored Acromantula Silk robes, was none other than Harry Potter. Sure the boy looked different than he would have expected. Red hair, a lot less James in his features than his 1 year old baby face had indicated, and much taller than his father had been at that age. But there was no mistaking those vivid green eyes, even if the boy didn't have the scar visible in his hair. Remus cleared his throat and set down the book.

"Not a problem. Hello, I'm Remus Lupin." Remus stood up and shook the boy's hand, werewolf strength surprised to meet its match in Harry's firm grip.

"Harry Potter," Harry recovered from his own shock.

Remus chuckled, "Yeah, I figured that. How can I help you?"

"Oh, no worries, no help needed. I was actually just checking for students. I've been passing out chocolate for the train." Harry explained the reason for his intrusion.

"Chocolate? Well, good to know not all of my students are unlearned. I felt the Dementors pass by but they did not bother my compartment." Remus was impressed at the boy's knowledge, "Did they cause any trouble?"

"They tried to come into my compartment. I was riding with a few students who were particularly affected, but I used my Patronus to send it on its way," Harry explained what had happened.

"Your Patronus?" Now shock once again came onto Remus's scarred face. A Patronus? At his age?, "Is it corporeal?"

"Yes," Harry grimaced, having not meant to let that tidbit slip. Past memories of the man before him teaching him the powerful Charm had let his guard down.

"Fascinating, and impressive. I'll want to see it sometime this year, if you're alright with that, might use it in some of my classes" Remus smiled at the boy. Talent had always been strong in the Potter line and he imagined that Lily had no small influence either. Still, though, a Patronus? Extraordinary.

Harry saw a chance to pull the topic away from himself for a moment and jumped, "Classes? Are you a teacher?"

_Lying Skill has increased! It is now 13!_

"Not quite yet, technically, but I've accepted the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts classes." Remus helpfully supplied, not realizing that Harry was already aware of that fact.

"Very cool. It's my favorite subject, so I look forward to your lessons. I really must be getting back to my compartment though. I'd recognize that hill there anywhere, so we must be nearing the school" Harry excused himself and headed back to his own compartment.

***Break***

When the compartment door slid open, Daphne's head came up from Astoria's where she had been dozing. Harry walked in, his return to the compartment having been slowed a bit by the string of thank yous from various students who had been helped by his chocolate deliveries. Harry looked at the girl and smiled warmly, glad to see that she had recovered well.

"Hey, sorry for my absence, are you okay?" Harry asked Daphne with concern.

"I'm feeling much better now, thank you" Daphne admitted. Hermione had left the covers, as she hadn't been quite as cold, but the blanket still covered Daphne and Astoria, the latter of whom was contentedly sleeping on her sister.

"No thanks needed, just happy to see you're okay" Harry smiled and received one in return. He turned a questioning gaze to Hermione, who also confirmed that she was well.

Harry turned to Neville, who had started to stir when Harry's voice had entered the compartment.

"Neville, easy there. Here, I got a thermos of tea here and some scones from breakfast. I'd also recommend a bit of chocolate to top it off." Harry handed the boy the supplies, rations that he had cooked up for his Inventory.

Neville sat up and took the food and drink with a small smile, "Thanks, Harry. What happened there?"

"Dementors. They were searching the train for Sirius Black most likely, and one decided that our compartment deserved special interest. You fainted, mate." Harry explained what happened to the previously unconscious boy who shivered at the mention of the dark creatures.

"Blimey. Fainted. I hope no one saw." Neville sipped at the tea gently, the contents of the thermos piping hot.

Harry patted the gentle boy on the shoulder, "No harm in fainting, Neville. No shame either. Dementors bring out the darkest memories one can have. I wouldn't be surprised if there were some other students who fainted, but no one mentioned anything to me when I walked the train. Eat that chocolate though, I bet you've still got a little numbness"

Neville nodded and looked a little better after the scone and some chocolate. He looked at Harry, "How do you know so much about Dementors?"

"What Herbology is to you, DADA is to me mate. We all have our strengths," Harry smiled at the boy who grinned in return.

***Break***

The train pulled into Hogsmeade with a loud whistle. A light drizzle of rain had begun falling. Harry stepped back into the compartment with Neville, having stepped out to stand guard for the girls changing inside. He had simply switched the clothes he had equipped, drawing a look of envy from Neville who struggled a bit with his robes. Harry had only grinned and helped the boy get his robe sorted. They all exited the train together, covering their faces with their hoods.

The castle of course was not visible from where they were, which frustrated Astoria who was excited to finally see Hogwarts. "You mean I can't go with you?" The girl whined when she realized the older teens would be taking the carriages while she was riding the boats.

"No, Astoria. You get to ride the boats with the other first years, per tradition. Come here," Daphne explained to Astoria, pulling the girl close and straightening her robes.

Harry smiled and waved his wand, casting a Warming Charm over the girl as well as a Repelio on her hood to help her stay a little dryer. "Daphne's right. You'll have fun, I promise. Hagrid's a great guy and that first reveal of the castle is probably the most important tradition."

Daphne looked grateful at the thoughtful spells, and they smiled as Astoria broke off from the group at Hagrid's call of "Firs' Years! Firs' Years over here!"

Harry waved at the giant, who waved back, and both Hermione and Daphne walked with the boy to the carriages. They both shot him thankful looks when Harry duplicated the charms he had cast for Astoria over them both, Hermione immediately asking about the proper wand movements and the incantations.

Harry pulled up short at the carriages though, when the all too familiar Thestrals were present. He racked his brain for a moment to wonder at their appearance, as he had not seen them in 3rd year before, until he remembered the Chamber. So even lives taken in Instances satisfied the requirements to see the strange, leathery winged Horses of Death. Harry helped both Hermione and Daphne into the carriage before he walked to the front.

They were strange creatures, creepy in their appearance, but held a token of respect for Harry as misunderstood creatures of beauty. He reached into his Inventory and brought out some raw meat, the 2 Thestrals of his chosen carriage appreciative of the snack. He patted their necks gently.

"What in Merlin's name are you doing, Potter?" Malfoy sneered at Harry as the blonde ponce walked by, seeing Harry waving his hands around like an idiot.

Harry looked at the boy calmly, "I'm petting the Thestrals, Heir Malfoy."

"The what?" Malfoy looked at him like he had said something weird.

"Thestrals, Heir Malfoy. And it's Lord Potter. One more slip-up and I'll be pressing for recompense for slighting my House." Harry smirked at Malfoy's agape face and stepped into the carriage.

***Break***

Astoria grumbled as she tried her best not to slip and fall on the walk down to the water. She was luckier than most of her year-mates though, with the warming and repelling charms doing wonders for her body temperature as the light rain had brought the air to an almost brisk temperature. Hagrid loomed ahead of her, the sheer size of the man being fascinating to the small girl.

"Righ', now, no more'an 4 to a boat. Make room, make friends. And whateve' ya do, no roughhousin' you hear?" Hagrid's booming voice cut through the idle chatter like thunder.

Astoria chose a boat with a 2 other girls and a boy, it being the closest and easiest for her to get to. She greeted the others happily, "Hello!"

They all seemed a bit more muted,and their unenthusiastic greetings in return made Astoria grumpy once more. She pressed on though, "I'm Astoria, and you are?"

"Romilda" came the first reply from one of the girls, "Haley" from the other.

"Dustin" The quiet boy replied, and Astoria took keen interest in his surprisingly melodic voice.

"Nice to meet you." Astoria's bubbliness started to bring some life out in the others in the boat and they were all smiling a bit when the boats started moving.

"Oooo, I can't wait," Astoria practically vibrated with eagerness. She was not disappointed.

"Wow!" Astoria's amazed voice was drowned out by the other First Years as they finally saw the castle almost floating above them. The windows were all lit, and the reflection of the Castle onto Black Lake painted an amazing picture for the new students. "That's Hogwarts? It's so big!"

***Break***

Harry held out a confident hand. Daphne's own hand rested on it as she climbed out of the carriage. Daphne sent him a small smile for his etiquette, and made room for Hermione to receive the same help. With the girls safely down from the carriage Harry looked up with a large smile. Hogwarts! Even visiting over the summer did not dampen the magic of seeing the Castle so close after so long. Like welcoming back an old friend the Castle's doors were thrown open to allow the older students access to the Great Hall. They would be closed by the time the 1st years came up, to allow the unveiling of the Entrance Hall.

"I'll catch you in class?" Harry said to Daphne as they walked up to the Castle. It would be the first real time they had spent apart since the duel and Harry was honestly a little sad at the prospect, having come to enjoy Daphne's company in their short time together. He would miss the girl's dry wit and manners compared to his boisterous fellow Gryffindors.

"Certainly," Daphne replied with a smile. She too would miss Harry's warm aura, the Lord's skill at relaxing a room only matched by Astoria's ability to brighten one. They split up as they entered the Great Hall and Harry sat down with Hermione at the Gryffindor table.

Harry met Albus's eyes from the Head Table, and waved with a large smile. The Headmaster smiled at seeing his favourite student so well after their heavy talk. It appeared that the Lord Potter had taken an old man's words to heart, and pressed on. Albus was shocked however when Remus Lupin, as his new DADA Professor, and Percy Weasley, as his new Head Boy, both had, with a quiet conversation, informed the Headmaster of what Harry had done on the train. Albus caught Harry's eye once more and raised his goblet to Lord Potter. Harry nodded, smiling sheepishly, having inferred what the gesture meant when Harry noticed Percy and Remus leaving Albus's side.

The Great Hall slowly filled with more and more students, many of whom were dripping water onto the floor drawing the ire of Argus Filch. Ron chose not to sit with them and instead settled between Seamus and Dean and looked positively delighted when Seamus asked Ron about his new awards, the Irish boy's mother being an avid reader of the Daily Prophet. Harry smiled softly, maybe Ron would get a 2nd chance at some other friendships if the rift between them didn't heal. Harry was drawn out of his introspections as many students clapped him on the back for his actions on the train. He accepted the praise with a sheepish smile, having not done it for glory but instead knowing that Dementors were ugly creatures that would bring out the worst in anyone.

***Break***

"Apricott, Henry!" McGonagall's stern voice echoed across the Great Hall signifying the start of the Sorting Ceremony, Harry chuckling as Astoria seemed to be chatting up everyone around her and bouncing on her feet her excitement apparent.

The names continued on, with each House cheering at their newest member. Harry noted the names, none really standing out to him as ones to look out for. Finally, "Greengrass, Astoria!"

Daphne watched her sister skip up to the stool, a smile of pride on her face. Her sister's excitement was apparent even to those who did not know her and the girl's skip drew a few chuckles from the 2nd Years and up.

The Sorting Hat, like so many other First Years before her, looked comically large on the girl. Daphne and Harry and even Hermione watched the Sorting in interest.

"Gryffindor!" Daphne looked shocked. Gryffindor? What? She had thought that if anything besides Slytherin, her sister would go to Ravenclaw. Even Hufflepuff perhaps. But Gryffindor?

Harry too was shocked. He had thought the girl a shoe in for Ravenclaw. He was a little bit worried at the girl being separated from Daphne, and he glanced at Daphne across the Great Hall, easily able to discern the elder Greengrass's face from amongst the crowd. It looked like Daphne too was a bit worried.

However if there was one House that could be counted on to look out for its First Years besides Hufflepuff it was Gryffindor and their tight-knit bunch. The House of Lions cheered loudly, as they always did, for the newest girl in their group.

When the Sorting Hat was pulled from her head, Astoria looked conflicted. She had no real worries about being in a new House, having told the Hat as such, but she was worried for Daphne who had probably counted on Astoria to join her in Slytherin. But there wasn't anything Astoria could do about it now and she headed over to join the Lions. Maybe she could sit with Harry?

Harry saw that Astoria wasn't very concerned for her new Sorting, so put it out of his mind for now and welcomed the little blonde to his side and they watched the rest of the Sorting in interest.

***Break***

"I can't believe you joined the Lions, Tori" Hermione commented to the girl as the names moved into the M's.

"I know! I told the Hat that I didn't much care where it put me, but I didn't expect all you weirdos," Astoria joked, seeing Fred Weasley with some sort of goofy mask on being pummeled for scaring Angelina Johnson.

"The Hat places you where it thinks you'll experience the most growth. It almost put me in Slytherin, but took into account me praying for anything besides that," Harry let the girl sidle up to him, a bit shocked at the girl's closeness but allowing it.

"You didn't want to be a Slytherin?" Astoria asked in interest. She could see Harry doing pretty well in the House of Ambition.

"At the time, I had just met Malfoy, and people were quick to tell me about what house Voldemort came from." Harry ignored the gasps around him at his casual use of the name like he usually did, "If the Hat were to ask me now though? I don't know that I wouldn't be placed there"

Hermione looked thoughtful, "The House system does seem a bit archaic, doesn't it?"

Harry though, knowing that revolutionary look, was quick to defend the ancient system, "A bit, as most things in the Magical World are, but honestly it's just a way to fill the beds. Nothing stops students from interacting with each other. If people were allowed to pick their own house then it would likely be less even, skewed often, by which house is most popular in that era. With Dumbledore and even me Sorted to Gryffindor it'd be too likely that people would want to follow that trend. And to Slytherin's credit it is the House of Merlin."

Hermione mused over that while the names were now in the R's. "That's true. I just wish people put less stock in what House you get sorted to. Slytherin's the House of Ambition, but I want to be Minister for Magic. Ravenclaw's the House of Intellect but Astoria here probably matches or exceeds any of the new Ravens in that aspect."

Harry nodded, enthusiastically, while Astoria listened to the words in interest, "Exactly. I've had my moments but I'm hardly the most cunning bloke in the House of Lions, yet I was almost Sorted to Slytherin. Your House does not make you. And you're right, people probably should put less stock in what House is whose."

They were cut off from their debate by the tinking of a goblet as Albus Dumbledore rose to his feet as the last new student found their seat.

***Break***

"Welcome!" Albus's voice carried easily over the Great Hall, "Welcome new faces and old to another new year for Hogwarts!"

The Headmaster waited a moment for the cheering to die down, "It is heartening to see so many fresh faces and freshly reunited friends. A few announcements before the year begins. First, I would like to say goodbye to Professor Kettleburn who has decided to retire to enjoy time with his remaining limbs."

When the student body didn't seem that sad at losing the Professor, Albus continued, "To take over the post, it is my honor to welcome Hagrid as your new Care of Magical Creature Professor!"

Cheers erupted, most of the students had a good impression of the affable half-giant, Harry's cheers were louder than most even though he had known it was coming. Albus let the cheers die down once more.

"In another post, so often refilled, it is my immense pleasure to welcome Professor Remus Lupin as your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher!" The cheers were more reserved this time, the students taking in the shabby appearance of the werewolf and Slytherin noting the immense dislike apparent on their Head of House's face.

"Now, before we all sit down, I have one more announcement to make. 2, actually. It is Hogwarts' unfortunate pleasure to play host to the Dementor's of Azkaban as many of you have come to know. Our illustrious Minister has felt that Sirius Black poses a threat to our school and has posted a host of Dementors to keep watch over the school's perimeter. Please be warned students, these are not creatures to trifle with. They do not know fear, rarely feel pain, and once their interest is piqued are not easy to stop. Care _must_ be exercised by each and every one of you. And that brings me to my last announcement. As many of you found out the hard way, the Dementors launched a search of the Hogwarts Express. This was kept under wraps should anyone have been trying to smuggle Sirius Black into the school, and I had made sure previously to make my displeasure of the plan known to the Minister. Many of you suffered for this, and I am sorry that it was necessary. I have been informed however by Professor Lupin and our newest Head Boy Percy Weasley that one student took it upon themself to pass out chocolate to each and every one of you. I'm a fan of dessert before dinner as much as any of you, but I'm sure you all felt the magic that chocolate has on the effects of exposure to the Dementors. Though I normally do not like to do this, certain acts of selflessness must be rewarded even this early in the year so I award Harry Potter with 50 Points to Gryffindor for charitable acts and selfless actions in the face of what had likely been a traumatic event even for him!" Albus was deafened by the cheers that erupted at this as many of the students, even many Slytherins, cheered at Harry's efforts to make sure that all of them were okay in the wake of the Dementor's search. It took nearly 3 minutes for the cheering to die down though Harry was sporting a blush that would make any Weasley proud, something that had Albus chuckling.

"Yes, yes. Madam Pomfrey as well will have a host of chocolate for any student who comes across any ill effects this year. This is not to be taken advantage of by students merely sporting a sweet tooth. For sweet teeth we come to the Great Hall, where we can all tuck in!" At the last of his words and a wave of his hand the tables were covered in the Welcoming Feast's delectable fare and the students immediately set into the food with abandon. Albus settled into his seat after his welcoming speech and spied a tasty looking bread roll literally calling his name. He shot a keen eye at Remus, who tucked away his wand with poorly veiled innocence at the small prank, and almost choked on the bread when he bit into it and it cried out in fear "Albus, noooo!"

***Break***

Astoria looked around in wonder at all the food, and quickly had a plate piled high which she tucked into with fervor. She hadn't ate anything since her smaller than usual breakfast, and was appropriately starving. Harry and Hermione made much more sensible plates, well balanced and with multiple food groups.

"So, Harry, you're going to tell me what that spell that you cast at that Dementor was." Hermione didn't phrase it as a question, because it wasn't one, and waited politely for Harry to finish the large bite he had taken from his turkey leg.

"I knew you'd be asking, I'm surprised it took you this long. The spell was the Patronus Charm. It summons forth a representation of your personality and is fueled by positive emotion, countering the effects of Dementors and repelling both them and Lethifolds. Though a fairly easy spell to learn it is harder for most to provide a memory, the source of the positive emotion, strong enough to repel either creature and many do not bother learning the spell beyond being able to produce a heavy mist. The incantation is Expecto Patronum, and the movement a simple thrust of the wand." Harry explained to the interested girl, as well a few eavesdroppers, as to the spell's effects and uses.

"But what was yours? That was a very large snake." Hermione noted all of the details that Harry had shared, promising herself to try the spell at some point. Astoria was more concerned with filling her belly and contented herself with paying attention, but not contributing, to the conversation.

"That, my dear Hermione, was the Basilisk of Slytherin," Harry commented casually, and multiple gasps were heard around him as more people listened in, "Though significantly smaller than the true beast. I'm surprised you don't remember it"

"A Basilisk? The Basilisk? But you just said that it was supposed to represent your personality, so what, you're represented by a Muggleborn killing snake now? And I had only gotten a glimpse of its eye through a hand-mirror before being Petrified" Hermione was confused by the revelation and also a little annoyed to be reminded of losing out on almost half a school year. She had spent a lot of time that summer reacquainting herself with all of the lost knowledge she had missed out on.

"Despite what many who are listening in right now may think," Harry cast an eye around to all of the interested faces looking at them right now, "The Basilisk of Slytherin was not intended to be used in such a manner. It was actually one of 4 defenses installed by each of the Founders in preparation for a siege, as Basilisks are actually immortal creatures in the sense that age will not kill them. It was intended to be used in defense of students, not to kill them."

"Interesting, Potter, but why should we believe you? If anything your Patronus, by your own admission, confirms what we all thought last year of you being the true Heir of Slytherin," This snide remark came from Cormac McLaggen, a Gryffindor boy a year older than Harry who had never really liked him.

"Interesting theory, McLaggen. You're forgetting, however, my publicized press conference in front of hundreds where I confirmed that I am not, in fact, the Heir of Slytherin. Like usual, the only thing you've proven is that you're an idiot," Harry commented to the boy in question idly, and the boy settled back into his seat fuming. The dislike went both ways.

_English Skill has increased! It is now 71!_

"So the Basilisk means what for you? And what were the other defenses?" Astoria finally chimed in, interested in the odd turn the discussion had taken.

"Well… Let's see. The Basilisk, born of unlikely circumstances, is a creature of power. The snake aspect harkens to my own Parseltongue abilities. And despite its ability to kill with a look, it is largely a territorial animal who possesses a keen intellect." Harry thought for a moment. There were probably other similarities but he could not think of them at the moment.

"As to the other defenses, the 2 others I know of, there are the suits of armor around the school. These were crafted by Gryffindor, both a skilled blacksmith and a general of no small talent, to animate and follow the orders of the Headmaster of that time. Ravenclaw placed a room within the school that could serve as a safe house for any students not yet trained enough, or even unwilling, to defend Hogwarts from an attack. It's Hufflepuff that I'm unaware of though I will say that she probably played a part in Hogwarts never being short on food, despite various famines over the centuries. You can't siege a place that never goes hungry. They all worked together to build the various secret passages within the school, routes that they could follow that would let them respond readily to any attack that is focused in any one particular area." Harry explained what he knew from doing a lot of reading over the summer with the Gamer abilities.

"5 Points to Gryffindor, for exceptional knowledge of the school's history and defenses. You do the student body proud, Mr. Potter" A voice cut in. Harry looked up to see Minerva McGonagall staring at him with fondness just behind her stern demeanor. A few students behind the Professor were snickering into their hands.

"Oh, hello Professor. May I just say you look lovely today?" Harry tried a little flattery, in case he was in trouble. Minerva smiled slightly at the reminder of James pulling the same defense in his school years.

"You're not in trouble, Mr. Potter, but don't think that flattery would have gotten you very far if you were. I was just coming down for a moment to request that both you and Ms. Granger reported to my office after the Feast." Minerva smiled at the Potter lad, just a bit, and when both students nodded in confirmation she walked back to the Head Table.

"Whew. For a second I thought she'd noticed the note." Harry wiped imaginary sweat from his brow, and that prompted the students to look at the Transfiguration Professor who was walking away. On her back was a note that said 'Feisty Kitty' and had a small animated kitten roaring and pouncing drawn on it, prompting the students to devolve into snickers. Fred and George looked at Harry with a keen approving eye at the simple yet effective prank.

***Break***

Severus Snape was not typically a happy man. Right now he was furious. Next to him sat the werewolf Remus Lupin. That alone would have been enough to set the easily provoked man into a mood. But what really set him off was seeing Harry Potter surrounded by people who seemed to be following his every word. And the boy had the daring, the _audacity_, to give himself red hair. The similarities to Lily Evans' hair was astounding. Snape couldn't, even after all these years, bring himself to refer to his childhood friend as Lily Potter. The boy was clearly different this year, as previously Harry had at least seemed to keep to himself and not follow his father's popular ways. Snape would be keeping an eye on the boy, and at the first sign of trouble would work to bring the boy humble again.

***Break***

Daphne Greengrass was not typically a happy girl. Right now she was a little miserable. Her sister, sweet Astoria, had been sorted into the House of Lions. While Daphne knew that Astoria would be safe under the watchful care of Harry she had honestly expected her sister to join her in the House of Snakes. So in the wake of the tension that was now between her and Tracey, Daphne was ostensibly alone in a pit of snakes. None of this was reflected in her face though, nor Tracey's across from her whose thoughts were much the same.

The snake pit was a place of hierarchies and alliances governed by who you know and who you could count on either due to histories or owed favors. Any weakness was filed away in a small black book, and each member probably knew more about each other than any one member realized. The table was a reserved affair, everyone choosing to exercise manners and decorum lest some small detail give them away to any enemies. There were some exceptions, like Crabbe and Goyle or Mullicent Bulstrode, who were protected by alliances with power players like Malfoy.

Marcus Flint and his rowdy group of good ol' boys were another exception as they were now 7th years and thus held a lot of power. Daphne had never liked the boy, his leering eyes on any girl in Slytherin being unwelcome. A discrete appraisal, even a noted linger, was forgivable, even expected at times. Flint, however, would often make a habit of staring at the female members of Slytherin House for minutes at a time from the position he would often take on the back of the couch in the Common Room with his circle of friends.

Daphne honestly couldn't wait to get to the Common Room and through that to her own room she shared with Tracey so that she could put the business with Harry behind them and at least maintain an alliance that had served to protect them thus far from any trouble. Tracey across from her seemed to be of the same mind and together they kept up appearances for old times' sake.

***Break***

Astoria happily crunched on her dessert, a delicious peanut brittle, and watched the people around her. There were so many strange and exciting faces, each unique in their own right. Harry next to her had casually answered any question she had about who was who and about the school itself. Hermione had apparently snuck a book in with her, and Astoria was a little jealous when she saw it. Luckily the bushy haired friend had let her peek at it a bit but it was an Ancient Runes text, and she was at a section that was actually written in the runes so Astoria lost interest pretty quickly. So she people watched. And it was as she was running her eyes down the table of green and silver that she saw Daphne.

"Hmm. Daphne's worried about something." Astoria commented to Harry.

"She's likely dreading the talk with Tracey, remember? She said they'd be talking once they got to school." Harry looked at the blonde in question and tried to see how Astoria could tell that her sister was worried. He couldn't see it though.

"I hope she'll be alright, that probably won't be easy." Hermione commented without looking up. Harry grinned at her for her multitasking prowess.

"She'll be fine, it's her childhood friend and I made it very clear that I did not want to come between the 2." Harry tried to reassure Hermione.

"Fine like you were when you talked to Ron?" Hermione replied easily. Harry grimaced at the reminder and looked over at his redheaded friend. The shiner was healing, but it wasn't gone.

"That's hardly the same thing. I've known Ron a short time in comparison, and Daphne isn't likely to hit the girl… Is she?" Harry directed the question to Astoria.

"No, Daphne's more of the poison and wait type," Astoria joked, making Harry choke on his bite of treacle tart.

"And that's more my method," Astoria smiled cheekily at the redhead.

"Don't do that when I'm eating," Harry chided the tiny girl.

"I can do it when you're sleeping, if you'd like" Astoria smiled winningly at Harry, who flicked a piece of treacle tart at her. She glared at him when it stuck to her cheek, but only stuck her tongue out and ate it which made Harry laugh.

"Plot murders later you 2," Hermione half-heartedly reprimanded the 2 chuckleheads across from her. "Harry, what do you make of this section here?"

Harry took the book and read it eagerly, the book having shown gold to him since Hermione had brought it out.

_+1 Ancient Runes_

"Hmm. That does seem a little confusing doesn't it? It brings up Beorc, yet then mentions Ing as being the Root…" Harry started to explain before Astoria tuned him out.

***Break***

"55 Points, and in the first hour?" Fred slipped an easy arm around Harry's shoulders as they walked up to the Common Room.

"And, don't forget Forge, feisty kitty" George too slipped an arm around Harry, though it was around his waist.

It was all the warning Harry received as he was separated from Hermione who was enthralled by her book. The twins guided Harry into a secret passage opened by tilting a vase that was on a small detailed stand. The twins grinned at Harry when they released him.

"You've been a busy boy, Harry, balancing pranks and points so soon. You're going to make the year pretty easy for us at this rate," George commented like they were talking about the weather.

"Let's hurry this along, Gred, I have to meet with McGonagall," Harry warned the 2 twins. It wouldn't do to be late.

"Not to worry Harry, we know this school like the back of each other's hand," Fred placated Harry.

"We merely wanted to congratulate you Harry, on a job well done. It's no easy task to prank our Head of House and you did it subtly and with taste. We appreciate that in a fellow prankster," Fred spoke again.

"As a token of that appreciation, as well as what you did for Ginny last year and Ron with the award, we'd like to give you something," George said, and Harry realized what they were talking about almost instantly.

"And not just any something. The ultimate something." Fred pulled a blank piece of parchment out of his pocket.

"This little fella has taught us more than any teacher in this school, and has been the key to our success thus far." The tone George used was almost reverant.

Harry decided to tease them a little bit, "Ah, just so long as someone were to… solemnly swear to be up to no good?"

The twin's jaws dropped as Harry hinted very heavily as to the activating phrase. They even seemed at a loss for words. How in Merlin's name did Harry know about that.

"I'd like to propose a trade, my dear boys. Something of mine for something of yours." Harry took control of the situation and pulled out a small book from his Inventory. He had originally wanted to give this to Sirius, but saw an opportunity for Fred and George to put it to good use.

The 2 boys looked eagerly at the book, but Harry did not offer it up. "Map first." Harry said, shocking them again with his knowledge.

They placed the Marauder's Map into Harry's hand and he grinned at the familiar weight. It slipped into his Inventory with a thought.

"In return I bequeath unto you both, as is my right as the Son of Prongs" Harry's tone took on a comical formal quality and he held the book up like he was christening them both. The twins, still reeling from Harry's previous bombs, were blown away when Harry casually mentioned one of their idols. Their eyes locked onto the book.

Harry grinned, and waited. And waited. Fred and George's eyes flicked to his, and Harry boomed, "THE PLAYBOOK"

In his hand, in the same handwriting as the Marauder's Map, was the Marauder's Playbook from his father's trunk. George took the book carefully, once he saw the title, as if the slightest touch might break it.

"That book was their true legacy and it contains many secrets. Use it well, my sons" Harry equipped his Invisibility Cloak so that when Fred and George looked up from the book he was nowhere to be seen.

"What… What just happened?" Fred looked lost.

"I have no idea…" George whispered.

_Pranking Skill increased! It is now 25! Boon Unlocked!_

***Break***

Harry chuckled to himself once the twins left, confused but also eager at their newest link to their idols. Harry knew that both Sirius and his father would have approved of the trade. He looked down at the Map in his hand. He hadn't counted on getting this thing this year, in his past life he was only really given it due to a need to get to Hogsmeade.

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth Harry's wand appeared, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good"

_Congratulations! You have found the Marauder's Map! Mini-Map augmented!_

Harry looked up in interest to see that his Mini-Map had a bit more detail, and would now show secret passages in and around Hogwarts. Or at least the one that he was currently in. Harry skimmed the paper map with a big grin, this would be so useful! And he could keep an eye on people. He'd be keeping an eye out for Sirius to finally meet his Godfather, but would be checking out a few more people of interest just in case. With a start, Harry realized that he had been in the secret passage for much too long and took off at a run to get to McGonagall's office.

_Running Skill has increased! It is now 30!_

***Break***

Harry caught up to Hermione just as she made it to the landing of the floor of McGonagall's office. The girl was still nose deep in the book, but looked up at Harry in relief when he bounded next to her.

"I noticed you disappear, I thought you just went to the loo or something. What happened?" Hermione asked Harry.

"Fred and George wanted to talk to me about something. I'll tell you later," Harry promised when it looked like his friend wanted to ask more questions.

Harry knocked on McGonagall's door while Hermione put the book away, and they stepped inside. McGonagall's office was much neater than most Professor's and she had everything in a proper place so that she could balance Transfiguration Professor with Head of House and Deputy Headmistress.

"Professor" Harry greeted with a warm tone that Hermione matched as well.

"Right on time, Mr. Potter, Ms. Granger. Please take a seat" Minerva looked up from some papers she was reviewing and smiled faintly. Harry and Hermione took her up on the offer and she even provided some biscuits from a tin that were ignored due to their full bellies, Hermione's anyways as Harry didn't really get full.

"You both have decided to pick up extra elective this year, and I wanted to take a moment to say how proud I am of that choice. It's not been unheard of for students to want to take that extra step, but for the only two of your year to do so to also be two of my lions gives me no small measure of pride. I trust you both will live up to that expectation." McGonagall eyed them both in a look that was both stern and friendly, mostly Harry as she had little concern with Hermione.

"Of course Professor." Hermione said sincerely. Minerva nodded at them both and pulled an ornate box from her desk which she placed in front of them.

"What I am about to give to you, to manage your busy timetables, will not be shared or revealed to your classmates for any reason and will not be taken advantage of. Failure to comply with that will result in either a steep fine, or possibly expulsion. Do I make myself clear?" No amount of friendliness was in the older Professor's tone.

After a hearty gulp and a nod from them both she opened the case. Inside were 2 small golden hourglasses, filled with a small amount of fine golden sand.

"These are Time-Turners, they enable someone to go back in time in increments of hours. They are used by turning this disc here counterclockwise around the hourglass, and then pressing the dial at the top. Each full turn is 1 hour, though half-turns and such are possible. These are filled with a specific amount of sand, to match what electives you have signed up for. Every turn will use one of those grains of sand. I recommend use of the Tempus Charm if you are ever unsure how much of a turn you should use. If you abuse this, in any way, you will quickly find yourself with no way to attend your necessary classes and will likely fail those electives. Am I understood?" Minerva looked at them both.

Harry was looking conflicted. He had signed up for these classes with the intent to simply get a Time-Turner and use it for extra training time. Now he was being told that he would pretty much be stuck to use it as prescribed. Harry wondered for a moment how Hermione had had the extra sand needed, not even knowing beforehand that the amount of sand played a part in the magical item's use, in his last life for the mission to save Sirius but then reassessed McGonagall's words and realized that the Time-Turners were preloaded to match the Classes that were signed up for. So when Hermione dropped out of Divination, she ended up with extra turns that were not being used. Interesting, Harry thought to himself.

Hermione simply looked excited, Muggle space-time theory being as interesting as it was. Her tone matched the look. "So will we be in 2 places at once?"

Minerva smiled at the inquisitive student, her favorite one if she were honest with herself though Harry was a close second, "In a sense, Ms. Granger. I've handed out a few of these over the years and have always reacquainted myself with the theory of the Magic when the Unspeakables would bring them by. You will need to exercise caution in the use of this device. I recommend familiarizing yourself with some of the secret passages and unused classrooms to use this though the safest will always be my office. I also warn you that a lavatory stall is not a safe place to use this. Many times a student has gone back and run into someone using that stall at the particular time they went back to. Not a lovely experience for any party, I assure you. If you must use an area as your point of transfer as it is called, I highly recommend trying to look at it during the time that you are planning to go back to."

Hermione and Harry both paid rapt attention, when Minerva got much more serious. "This will involve planning and care but I have faith that you both will learn quickly and well. The absolute worst thing that can happen though, is the breaking of 2 rules. The first is in any way preventing your past self from going back as planned. This will cause a Rupture. Nothing is known about what happens to those stuck in a Rupture, and the theory is a bit loose but do try to follow along. If you were to go back to a time, an hour ago, and live out that hour but then stop yourself from going back that hour for any reason you will separate the timelines and be lost to us. That version of you anyways. I have no idea how often it has happened as there is no real way to counteract it due to the 2nd rule. Never, _never, _overlap your returns. The timeline can handle 2 of a person, but 3 has caused strange and dangerous things to happen and that was for tests lasting mere moments. I often ask myself why these magical artifacts are put into the hands of children, and have asked the Unspeakables as such. They simply responded that those who break the rules are forever lost to us, stuck in some other timeline and therefore not affecting our own. It is they who will need to live with their actions, not us."

Harry nodded firmly. Well, it might suck that he could not abuse the shit out of the Time-Turner the way that Tyran was thinking. It was as he was thinking this that something strange and new occurred.

_Pause!_

Harry did not do that, and he looked around the now gray and still room in concern. Then, behind McGonagall's head a long thin black line appeared. This thin line was then _pulled_ as though a curtain and Harry caught but a glimpse of the Center through the break before Tyran stepped into the room.

"Hello, Chosen," That same feminine voice from the beginning of Harry's summer rang forth and Harry honestly couldn't stop himself from smiling.

"Tyran!" Harry's grin got just a little bit bigger before falling a bit when, thanks to a bit of practice, he could see the look of concern on Tyran's face. Like during the tutorial, Harry let the Runic Construct talk.

"I need to speak with you about the importance of what your role as Chosen is for this timeline. I would have told you this through the Bracelet I left for you but you have fallen out of the habit of wearing it. That's no real concern, and you may choose to continue doing so if you wish. What your teacher is saying is true, Time is not to be trifled with and holds just as much power as Fate herself. The few times that a Chosen has gotten any measure of power over Time, catastrophe has been an all too common effect. If you abuse the trust given to you by Fate, and cause one of these Ruptures, you will lose your Gamer abilities in their entirety as well as any progress you have made and be forced to live out the result of your actions. If those actions result in death, it is not likely that you will maintain your role as Chosen and be allowed another chance. It is up to you if you would like to continue this route and take your extra classes, or perhaps the gravity of the risks will prompt you to new action. It is up to you." The Construct stood for a moment, and smiled at Harry.

"So any slip-up with the Time-Turner will cause me to lose my powers? Why did you agree that I could abuse the shit out of it then?" Harry was annoyed, his plan going up in flames before him.

"That was due to the phrasing of the question. You asked how Time could affect you, not how you could affect Time. You can, _essentially,_ abuse a Time-Turner in the sense that you will not be affected by the strain of longer days nor would you age in any way with the use of one. I am here, now, telling you about the risks you can pose with how you can affect Time. When you asked the question there was no guarantee that you would go through it or even pull it off, as Fate has given you a certain level of autonomy not allowed in many Chosen. Now you are presented with not one, but 2, of these artifacts. We too must plan for any of your actions and therefore must stress the importance of adherence to the rules your teacher is saying. Make of the information what you will, Chosen, the Pause will be maintained until you end it." And without another word Tyran _pulled_ the curtain and stepped back into the Center, the thin black line vanishing as though it had not been.

Harry's mind whirled back to that time on his 2nd day of the Tutorial when he had asked Tyran the question. The words came to him easily, as most memories did since he acquired his Gamer capabilities.

"How does Time apply to me? I mean obviously it applies to me but since my game age has been separated from my real age, and I don't need sleep, then if I were to get say… a Time Turner, then could I essentially abuse the shit out of it and not run myself into the floor? And not age myself prematurely?" Harry asked himself quietly.

It took him a moment to realize why the words felt so strange to him, and then he realized. He wasn't the same Harry anymore. It was right there in the wording. My Game age has been separated from my real age. That was HJP still talking right there. And upon review, Harry could see how poorly the question had been phrased. He had known at the time that Tyran was a literal type of … person, taking words at their phrasing and not doing much inferring. But he hadn't _known_ the way he did now, backed up by Diplomacy, Logistics, Etiquette, and other Mental Skills the way he was now.

Harry sighed. Now to decide if he would continue like this. The Time-Turner would be useful in some ways, especially if he dropped Divination and got some extra sand, but without the ability to go back multiple times he would be stuck in class for each turn barring sneaking around at night and getting a few extra hours in with whatever sand he had extra. He could pretty much do that now by not sleeping at all. The electives in question were Divination, Ancient Runes, Care of Magical Creatures, and Arithmancy. Did those classes matter to him right now? The school currently afforded him 1 Free Period, with 2 overlapping classes, but he honestly didn't need that with the way his mind and body worked now so he could feasibly drop one and forfeit his Free Period. That might mean a different class, with other students, but that didn't bother him either as he was keen to build some bridges across House boundaries anyways.

Glancing at the frozen girl next to him, Harry wondered how his now reluctance to accept the Time Turner would play out for his friend. Hermione would survive if she broke the rules, this version of her anyways it seemed. The theory was interesting but weird to him, and he only barely grasped it at all. But the inclusion of multiple classes had made Hermione interesting, and shaped the woman she had become in his original timeline. Would that matter now though? She was who she was now, and he couldn't let himself overthink how his actions would change the people around him. He wasn't in the same world he had left 3 months ago. The amount of differences already were too numerous to count and those were just the differences Harry was aware of. No, he would have to do this for himself. The rewards did not outweigh the risks.

Harry looked at McGonagall. She would likely be a little disappointed. Harry himself had pushed for this after all. That was the problem with half-baked plans made in a rush, as he had learned quite well since. Harry should have asked Tyran more about his plan instead of just thinking it would work out for him like so many other things had. She would likely understand though, as since then he has certainly changed in a lot of ways and was now responsible for the care of others. It would take a bit of spinning the yarn, but he knew he had to say no.

_Unpause!_

*Fin*

A/N: I know that some people are probably bummed that we don't get to see Harry break the game a bit, but he's not the same Harry that he was in Chapter 2. I've been planning this plot-twist for a while now and I'm honestly a pretty happy with how it turned out. I had a lot of fun with the Marauder's Map scene as well.

Review answers below.

Chuysaurus: Luna has a little something going on, and Harry's interest has been piqued slightly. We'll see where it ends up. Thank you for the review!

Adrian King1: Harry will be making waves this year for sure. He's proven to everyone that he has power, he's proven to everyone through the duel that he isn't afraid to use that power, and he's proven to everyone that he only wants them to be safe. It will be a fine line to toe not to make Harry's presence in the Castle oppresive, and he'll probably fail a few times and butt heads some others, but he will get there. He loves the place after all. Thank you for your continued support.

Beccasullivanwrites1: It's really laid out in this chapter, towards the end, that this Harry is not the same Harry as the one at the beginning of the story. And too much has changed for him to have the same Patronus so I thought a Basilisk would be a fun twist. Thanks for the review!

Soryuken: Thank you for the review! This Harry is definitely a lot more different than even he realizes. He is also forgetful because he's constantly on information overload from the Game. He'll slowly get better but right now it's getting to him. He's come a long way though! Thank you for the review! I hope to keep you interested!

TheGreatBubbaJ: Hah! I got you! Not much, as your guess was really close, but just a bit. There's also a scene in here that I hope you enjoyed that was inspired by you. I had to do something when I cackled at the idea of Harry having a Wanking Skill. To clear it up a bit Boons work like feats, you can grab some of the older stuff if it really interests you. But there will also be new stuff that will also end up drawing the eye. He might choose Silent Hands, but the new Self-Greasing Boon might draw his eye as well. Hilarious analogy. And Astoria is a Gryffindor now! So Daphne is all alone in the snake pit.

Firetemplar415: Luna as Voldemort's daughter is both unsettling and weird lol no she's just a powerful conduit who sees things that most people cannot. Thank you for the review! You and all your voices!

Phineas Garcia-Shapiro Flynn: I had to give him a little something for taking away his Time Turner, you know? Thank you for the review!

Greye05: I hope the first scene cleared it up a bit for you! She's not aware of what's going on but can be used by Fate to talk to Harry, when Tyran isn't needed to explain the heavy stuff. It may come up in the future it may not.

Frankieu: My Harry is significantly more Slytherin than Canon so the change felt natural. Thank you for the review!

Reaper505: Thank you! And thank you for the review!

Nina0116: Not really. Percy stepped up this time around and Remus did not have any students in his cabin nor did the Dementor bother his compartment. He chose to wait and see. Thank you for the review!

Kuman: I 100% agree. That's one of those moments where I started this story last year and have learned a lot since then. I have actually gone back and changed it based on this review, so thank you for that! This will actually open up a lottle play for some of Harry's doubters to still hang onto that belief. Works out for me. Thank youf ro the review! You have a lot of twists and turns ahead.


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: 18 Chapters. Officially the longest story I've participated in in review, follows, word length, and number of chapters. That is so awesome! I hope everyone enjoyed the twist of the last chapter. I have a few more planned for you all but it may be awhile before we get to them. I hope you all stay tuned for more! And the fact that I updated 2 hours ago and already received 9 reviews is freakin awesome. I feel like you guys are devouring these as quick as I can whip them up. Also. There are differences in this timeline. Little things. 95% of them are intentional on my part for how I want the story to flow. Even Harry doesn't notice them. The Runes as well are going to be different than the canon explanation of them. So please don't send me flaming PMs saying I'm breaking from canon. I did that in the first chapter, it's literally the basis of the whole story.

And away we go!

Chapter 19: Learning, Lessons, and Love Interests.

Harry took a deep breath, and spoke. "Professor I… I don't think that I should accept the Time Turner. Please hear me out before you're upset. It's not that I don't think that I can handle the workload, but in addition to being a student I am now a Lord, a businessman, a public figure, and I'm responsible for the well-being of other students now. I think that balancing all of that would not be good for any of the parties involved. When I came to you earlier this summer I was excited by the new developments my life had taken at the time and wanted to see if I could do this but a lot has changed since then and it's simply not plausible for me anymore. Would it be possible, instead, to drop Divination and trade my Free Period for one of the remaining 3 classes? I'm willing to try and test above a 3rd year level, if that will make it easier for that class."

McGonagall looked shocked to hear Harry turn down the Time Turner. And a bit annoyed. She had gone out on a limb for the boy and pulled a lot of things together for him to have that chance. She almost commented to such an effect, until she thought more about his words. It wouldn't be the first time that someone had turned down the extra electives after having a summer to think about it, and she would be the first to admit that the boy had a lot on his plate. She sighed in resignation, and thought for a moment. Ancient Runes would likely be the best class to switch out for Harry's Free Period, it was one of the most popular electives and therefore one of the few with 2 classes. Care of Magical Creatures would also work, but she'd already received quite a few dropouts by those concerned with Hagrid teaching and may end up needing to combine the classes as it were. She glanced longingly at her drawer that had a bottle of Ogden's Finest, knowing it would likely be a long night with quite a few Timetable updates. What was one more, even if that one more was slightly more complicated than the rest.

"Very well, Mr. Potter. It saddens me to see you not at least attempt it for a few weeks but I also understand where you are coming from. I will be expecting more from you however as you will have days almost as full with less time for homework. I will be most cross if I hear you flagging behind and causing me even more trouble." McGonagall acquiesced to his request.

"However," McGonagall spoke once more, "There are rules for this. You will need to swear an Unbreakable Vow not to reveal that Ms. Granger will be using the Time Turner. This is a rule set forth by the Department of Mysteries, to protect knowledge of these extremely rare artifacts. It is a simple Vow, with strict wording to only pertain to that."

Hermione looked shocked by Harry stepping away from the classes, she had thought that she would be having a companion in those classes and was honestly a bit upset at Harry for not telling her he was planning this. It occurred to her though that he was probably deciding this now after hearing the strictness involved with the Time Turners. She would simply talk to him about it later, Hermione knew that she had no control over Harry's actions.

Thinking hard about the Unbreakable Vow Harry asked if he could read it first. He stared long and hard at it before agreeing, wishing that it weren't necessary. His hand linked with McGonagall's and their wands came up.

***Break***

Harry walked with Hermione over to the Gryffindor Common Room. They were quiet, Harry lost in thought as he thought about what he would do with his busier days. There would be a lot of 1 hour nights, that was for sure.

"What made you do that, Harry?" Hermione asked the boy, her book for once not in her hand.

"Honestly? Daphne and Astoria. I have a lot on my plate now, stuff that I did not have at the beginning of this summer when I made the decision to take extra classes. It just didn't seem like a good idea to wear myself down both at school and out with business letters, Lord duties, and making sure that Astoria has the proper care while she is at school. It only cost me a class, though." Harry explained some of why he had gone this route, unable to tell Hermione the full reason and his fear of causing a Rupture only to lose his Gamer abilities.

Hermione nodded at his mention of only having one less class now. She felt for the boy with the loss of the Free Period. That was quality homework and study time that he would be missing now.

"I guess that's true... What about what happened with Fred and George?" Hermione moved on to her next curious question. Harry filled her in on the short exchange that he had had with the Twins. At her request he also showed her the Marauder's Map and was suitably impressed by the Charmwork that must have gone into it. This sparked a debate on Charms that lasted until they reached the Common Room

***Break***

Astoria looked around in awe at the spacious and, currently, loud Gryffindor Common Room. There was a fire in the hearth, and plenty of tables spread around the outer edge, and it gave the room a cozy vibe. She drew a lot of parallels, for obvious reasons, to the color scheme of some Harry's furniture and his room in particular. Astoria could see for herself why he chose to mimic the area. Normally such a thing would make her happy, a new place with new sights and new people. But people were avoiding her. It was subtle, and if she wasn't so in tune with the energy of the room she might have missed it. Even Romilda Vane who she had been delighted to see join Gryffindor from her boat ride was making herself scarce.

It puzzled her for a moment, why the usually welcoming Lions would show hints of ostracizing her but then Astoria realized why it was. Harry. They weren't doing it out of fear of him, but misplaced respect. Astoria made the connection since Harry was not here yet that they were being cautious about approaching her. Not for a reason like disliking her, which she would have lived with, but because it seemed as if they wanted to ask Harry's permission to be around her. How utterly frustrating. And Astoria understood that there was honestly little that she could do about it on the first day. If Harry tried to help, it would only serve to make them right that they would need Harry's permission to be her friend.

Harry and Hermione were welcomed into the Common Room like the old friends that they were. Handshakes, greeting nods, claps on the back, and idle chatter followed them like a wave. Astoria was honestly a bit jealous of the easy camaraderie. With a huff, she headed upstairs. Maybe relaxing a bit in her room would make it a bit easier to deal with, and honestly she was a bit tired anyways. Plus if she stayed there was a good chance that Harry would pick up on her souring mood and try to interfere. Astoria liked the boy, she really did, and had grown to care for him quite a lot in their short week together. However, his penchant for trying to help carried a side effect that he was a little unaware of.

***Break***

Harry stepped into the Common Room with Hermione, the Fat Lady accepting their password of "Fortuna Major"

Inside everyone was burning off their remaining energy from the train ride and the Welcoming Feast. Harry noted the Twins were absent as was Lee Jordan after a quick scan of the room. They were likely up in their room talking about the Twins' newest acquisition, Harry thought with a grin. He noticed Astoria off to the side, but before he could get there he and Hermione were stopped by various acquaintances. Harry replied amicably to the greetings, shaking hands from those who wanted to take a moment to say hello.

Out of the corner he saw Astoria heading up to her room with a slightly annoyed look. He idly wondered what would have prompted such a look from the usually bubbly girl but he chalked it up to her being tired after the day's events despite a decent nap on the train. As decent one could have after the Dementor.

Harry made some idle chatter with various people, but decided to head back out of the Common Room to go talk to Madam Pomfrey for a while about Astoria's treatments. Thinking it might be a good idea to have a moment to talk to Astoria as well as show her the route, he commissioned a star-struck Romilda Vane to head to their room and bring her down.

***Break***

"Hey, Astoria? Harry Potter asked for you to come down for something," Came through Astoria's drawn curtains in her new 4 post bed. She had curled up in the covers with a book, just starting to enjoy the quiet. Astoria huffed and set the book aside. She didn't even need a bookmark so early was the interruption.

"Did he say why?" Astoria grumbled a bit.

"No, just asked for you specifically. He's so dreamy isn't he? I had heard that he had black hair but that red just makes his eyes pop," Romilda started rambling, still blushing at having Harry bloody Potter talk to her directly.

"Yeah, a real dream boat," Astoria said sarcastically, not in the mood. Deciding she probably couldn't put it off without Harry resorting to sending Hermione or some other girl she put her shoes back on.

Having her reading interrupted was frustrating, walking down the stairs was frustrating, the daunting task of making new friends was frustrating. So, of course, it was a frustrated Astoria that grumbled her way down the stairs.

"Hey, Astoria!" Harry called up at her with a smile.

"What? I was just getting into a book," Astoria grumbled once more.

"Oh, sorry. I was about to head to Madam Pomfrey, I figured you would want to come," Harry explained to the girl, curious as to her grumpiness. Astoria sighed heavily. She probably should go, just to make sure that the nurse had all the facts she needed.

"Fine. Let's go," Astoria huffed. Harry looked at her quizzically but opted not to question her in the Common Room. He motioned with his head and she followed him out of the room.

Ginny looked at the pair suspiciously. So this was the other Greengrass girl that Ron had said was now living with Harry. The young redheaded girl had looked on in envy at the cool beauty that was Daphne Greengrass when Ron had pointed her out in the Great Hall and Astoria showed signs of not being far behind her sister in the beauty department. She grumbled to herself quietly. The amount of girls between her and Harry was daunting, and it didn't help that they were all attractive and had a level of access to the boy that Ginny herself was envious of. Her eyes shot to Hermione Granger and Katie Bell as well as the other Chaser girls. She would get her man though, if it was the last thing she did. Ginny turned back to the chess game that Ron was having with Seamus.

***Break***

Harry looked at the small girl that was next to him. Her usually bubbly outlook seemed long gone in favor of annoyance. Astoria was still an enigma to the boy, her emotions as flighty as her attention span. She could go from bubbly, to grumpy, to teasing and witty, to inquisitive, and back around to bubbly at the slightest provocation. Harry would be lying though if he didn't enjoy the presence of the girl though.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked as they took the stairs. He opted for the longer way, as an excuse to have a chance to talk with the girl.

"What's it to you?" Astoria grumbled. So many stairs.

"I was going to say that you seem grumpy, but I'll just skip that and say that you are grumpy. What's bothering you?" He led them through a corridor in favor of a side passage that would bring them closer to the Hospital Wing with a few less stairs along the way.

"Nothing." The girl replied. She looked up at some of the magical portraits around her, drawn in despite her ire at the multitude of sights around her.

Harry sighed and he stopped. Astoria walked on for a moment not realizing that Harry was no longer by her side. She stopped as well once she noticed and looked back at him in frustration.

"Astoria. I'm just trying to help." Harry explained to the blonde.

"You're always trying to help," Astoria commented. She would just walk without him, if he was so keen on stopping. Harry wouldn't let her get lost.

Harry groaned slightly as the girl started walking away. 'Headstrong, just like her sister, just with a different way of showing it' Harry thought to himself.

"Astoria! Seriously, why are you in a bad mood? I would think that finally being at Hogwarts would have made you happy." Harry jogged a bit to catch up to her when she started to go the wrong way.

"Butt out." She shot back, her ire growing at his incessant need to help out even when that help wasn't wanted.

"Uuuugh." Harry said to the ceiling. At least it didn't try and bite his head off.

"Exactly," Astoria commented idly. Harry decided to just stay quiet for a bit and let the girl work through whatever she needed to work through. They made steady progress through the Castle, and Astoria had to bite her tongue to not ask the questions running through her head at all the things she was seeing.

***Break***

Madam Pomfrey was sorting through the last of the Potions that Severus had brewed for her, placing them into her preferred locations so they would be available as they were needed. She always liked the first day of the year, it tended to be her least busy day as there were no class mishaps and typically no injuries from rough housing as most students went to bed shortly after the feast. Full bellies tended to do that. So the old nurse was surprised when not 1 but 2 students came into her domain. That surprise lasted only a moment though as she saw Harry.

"Mr. Potter. I'd recognize that face anywhere." Madam Pomfrey said sternly. She liked Harry, well enough, but he had certainly given her more trouble than most.

"Madam Pomfrey. Unfortunately I'm not here for me, though I know you miss having me around." Harry joked to the woman.

"I'm actually here for this one. This is Astoria Greengrass. I sent a letter to Professor McGonagall, did it reach you?" Harry had made some arrangements beforehand, once the full extent of the illness had been made clear to him, to inform at the very least the school nurse so that Astoria would have regular treatments as needed.

"Oh, of course. Hello, dear," Madam Pomfrey said to the small blonde, warmth in her tone. Astoria smiled politely and returned the greeting.

Harry had walked to a more spacious part of the Wing, and with a quick dip into his Inventory had brought out the equipment. It was strange, and weird to him but it was all there. He had had both Daphne and Dolly confirm that no pieces were missing. Upon the appearance of the equipment, Madam Pomfrey headed over to assess it.

"My, my. I haven't seen some of these since my last visit to St. Mungo's. It's a good thing you brought this all, Hogwarts does not have anything close to this level of a Transfer Module." Poppy's keen eyes assessed the equipment as she spent much of her summers staying acquainted with the newest equipment and procedures. It wouldn't do Hogwarts any favors if she wasn't up to snuff at all times.

"I have no idea what that means, but it's all here. If there's anything that needs an upgrade please let me know and hopefully we can arrange a way to acquire it," Harry had yet to come across a Skill that would give him any insight into the things needed for Astoria's care, but he was debating on finding a way to pick it up.

"No, this is all current. I remember when your great-aunt was in this school, Ms. Greengrass, during my own school years. She had much the same equipment, though it has come a long way since then." Poppy turned to the girl, who was checking out the various other interesting things in the Wing. Astoria was disappointed that there wasn't more though, this place would definitely be boring.

Astoria looked up at being addressed though, "Really? I had heard that my great-aunt had the Malediction, but never much about her. What was she like?"

Harry looked at the 2 conversing and had a small smile on his face. He had noticed Astoria's disappointed look at the scenery of the Hospital Wing but he knew from personal experience that Madam Pomfrey had a solid bedside manner, strictness aside, and had more than a story or 2 she could tell. Astoria's mood brightened, as it usually did when she was conversing with people who would answer questions, and after a few more minutes as well as a detailing of what care would be needed for Astoria it seemed like the young girl was back to her old self. Harry confirmed that anything that was not there, or any supplies that may be lacking, could be charged to the Potter accounts. He made it emphatically clear that nothing less than the best care would be suitable for Astoria, a statement that earned him a smile from the Madam when Harry continued and said that he felt like that would be no issue for Poppy.

***Break***

Astoria was much happier once they left the Wing. She didn't like talking about her Malediction much, but it had been interesting to hear some details about her Great-Aunt Astrid. It was also pretty clear that Madam Pomfrey, who to Harry's surprise insisted the girl call her Poppy, was as sharp as a tack and took no nonsense unless it was her own. Something that Astoria could respect.

"Thank you, Harry," Astoria said to the boy as they started their trek back to the Common Room. Astoria continued when Harry shot her a confused glance, "For lugging my equipment around and bringing me to see Poppy. I'm sure Daphne would have done the same but it still was nice,"

"It was no issue. I wanted to make sure that you are going to be taken care of. Madam Pomfrey has seen my face more than a few times, and she's actually quite nice," Harry waved away the thank you as it was unnecessary.

They talked a bit about some of the stories that would have landed Harry in Poppy's care, and laughed heartily when Harry told her about Lockhart vanishing his bones. Harry could laugh about it now, but he still remembered the terrible itch that Skele-gro had given him. Not something to be repeated to be sure.

The pair made it about halfway to the Common Room before Harry had to ask, "Do you want to talk about what was putting you in a bad mood earlier?"

Astoria grimaced at the reminder. No she didn't. But she also knew that Harry was asking out of genuine desire to right whatever wrong had upset her and it wasn't like there were any students around to hear her complaints. "It was because of how everyone in the Common Room was acting. Once they all saw that you weren't there they avoided me. Not enough to cause offense, but they tiptoed around me. I think it was because they wanted to wait and ask your permission to be my friend."

"Why in Merlin's name would they need that?" Harry asked in a confused tone.

"Do you really not know?" Astoria looked at Harry in wonder, to which Harry replied, "Know what?"

"Harry, almost every person that has messed with Daphne and I has gotten injured in some way. My father, for starters, but also Malfoy, and Ron. Heck, you even apparently threw a Dementor out of the train because of us! Or that's what they're saying anyways. They think if they do anything to offend me without running it by you first that you'll beat them up or something." Astoria explained all this to an oblivious Harry.

"That's nuts!" Harry tried to deny it, but couldn't refute the technical truth of the words. The Dementor had been a surprise to be honest, but Harry's response probably more so to the student body.

"Is it? Honestly ask yourself if someone was picking on me, what would you do?" Astoria tried a different approach.

Harry thought for a moment. What would he do? It would depend on the type of… oh. "I see what you mean."

Astoria reassured Harry with, "But even if it's not always needed, it's nice to know that someone is there that you can depend on. Just… let us fail sometimes. Or let us decide if we actually need your help, okay?"

Harry mulled that over for a long moment before responding, "I'll try Astoria. It's… presumptuous of me to try and fight your battles for you or Daphne, I know that. But I can't deny that I care for you both. Is that weird, what with us only really knowing one another for a week?"

Astoria eyed the boy next to her as they walked, and then developed a cheshire cat grin, "You mean you have a crush on both of us?"

"What? Dammit, Astoria I was trying to be serious for a moment!" Harry groaned loudly at the relentless girl. Astoria just giggled and skipped ahead, so that Harry would miss the blush she had at her own joke.

***Break***

Daphne and Tracey made it through the Slytherin Common Room with no issue and were sitting on the beds in the room they shared as 3rd Years. Each Slytherin was paired off, and it was 2 to a room unless it was an odd number that year. That was how Draco had his own room while Nott and Zabini shared one. Of course the Dundertwins Crabbe and Goyle would be sharing a room. They probably shared a bed, Daphne had thought previously, so attached at the hip they were. That was until she had caught Bulstrode and Crabbe snogging, very awkwardly, late one night.

Daphne and Tracey had of course paired off as well. Parkinson and Bulstrode had unwillingly paired off until Pansy realized that having a girl that could match the physical strength of most any boy their year might not be the worst thing to have. Daphne was knocked from her revelry as Tracey started to tear up a bit, finally letting her mask that wasn't quite as practiced as Daphne's fall from her face.

"Daph," Tracey started with a whisper, meeting Daphne's eyes, "I am so sorry."

Daphne simply stared at the girl, clearly wanting a bit more than that so Tracey continued, "I… was unfair. Not only to you, but to Harry as well. That's besides the point though. I shouldn't have left like that. I should have written a letter or… well Harry probably wouldn't have let me visit so soon after our fight but I should have done more. I shouldn't have abandoned you like that. I'm so sorry, Daphne"

Daphne nodded curtly, only saying "I saw the whole thing, Tracey"

Through the tears on the brunette's face Tracey showed shock as well. Her voice cracked a bit, "What do you mean? You were upstairs"

"Harry has a magical device, called a Pensieve. It allows others to view memories as if they were in the same room." Daphne explained to the confused girl.

"W...What? That seems so strange. What did you see?" Tracey wiped her eyes a bit and tried to get a modicum of decorum.

Daphne had bugged Harry relentlessly until he had done what he could to teach Daphne the Muffliato spell, when Harry had started up a discussion of Charms he knew. Privacy Charms went a long way in Slytherin, as their door could attest to. It was what made Daphne willing to talk so candidly, as there had been many instances of eavesdropping in the snake pit. She mentally thanked Harry for the spell that she had cast on the door at the start of the discussion.

"Oh Merlin, you do, you like Daphne" Daphne matched the words verbatim, "So, what, this was all some ploy? You saw a chance to save the damsel in distress and bring her under your care? Bring her into your home?"

Tracey reeled at having her own words thrown back at her. The eeriness was unsettling but so too was Daphne's glare. Daphne's voice had a touch more of a chill in it, "A damsel in distress Tracey? Is that what I am to you?"

"What? No! Of course not, Daph!" Tracey said emphatically, before looking down at her hands "I… I was upset. I said so many stupid things and did so many stupid things. I took it out on Harry, and betrayed you by doing so."

Daphne sighed heavily, it wouldn't do any favors for her to lose her temper, "Have you apologized to him?"

"No… Not because I don't want to but because it would… I don't know... It feels like if I try to apologize then I would be trying to play it like I didn't do anything wrong. I'm sorry if that doesn't make sense but it does to me. I like… liked Harry. But in some ways we were not a great match. It went up in a great big fire but it was bound to happen at some point. Maybe it's better that it turned out the way it did. But I don't want to lose you over our argument" Tracey rambled for a bit, and was beginning to feel a bit lighter after letting out some of her hurt.

"I can see what would make you think that. Harry had much the same thoughts. He made it emphatically clear that he didn't want to come between us either, and encouraged me to try and invite you over." Daphne thought about Harry's kindness streak, 50 kilometers wide it was.

Tracey gave a water chuckle and cleared her throat, "That sounds like him. Forever the Golden Boy"

Daphne smiled slightly, "He's been very kind to us so far. Spoils Astoria rotten."

Tracey giggled, her tears beginning to dry up. "Astoria makes you want to spoil her. Harry probably made an easy target for her."

"She was onto him from the moment she woke up. Harry made us breakfast in some weird Muggle get-up that was apparently for exercise. She couldn't keep her eyes to herself." Daphne's smile was a little more sincere.

"Well… bad match or not, I can't deny that he's gotten very good looking. You should have seen him dance. Or ridden a broom with him. It felt like those arms were never at risk of dropping me" Tracey joked, remembering cuddling up with the boy.

"Astoria, the brat, tricked me into riding Harry's Firebolt with him so I know what you mean. His growth spurt has been ridiculous" Daphne chuckled, and Tracey's grin got large despite the slightest twinge in her heart that she knew would pass as time went on.

The conversation continued in that vein, Tracey listening to what Daphne's brief stay at Harry's house was like. Tracey cackled when Daphne got to the parts about walking in on one another, and how Dobby had arranged it for Daphne. She even grinned when Daphne regaled her with the Library moment where Astoria had asked if Daphne and Harry had kissed.

Tracey had to tease her friend a bit, "Well, did you? I can promise he's quite good at it"

Daphne gasped and then groaned loudly, "Ugh! Not you too! It was bad enough with Astoria!"

Both girls went to bed with a smile that night. It wasn't back to the way that it was, not quite, but it was going to mend for them both. Their friendship would continue and Daphne was thankful that Harry hadn't tried to get in between them.

***Break***

The first day was in full swing. Harry was seated with Hermione at the breakfast table with Astoria nearby but chatting with Romilda Vane. Harry grinned at the girl and let her make her friends. And her enemies, if that's what happens Harry reminded himself. He wouldn't be taking his eyes off her, or Daphne for that matter, but would do his best to not get quite so riled up at the first provocation. Ron was nearby as well, and though the 2 boys were not chatting they did still share some chuckles when Seamus somehow blew up the pumpkin juice. That had earned the Irish boy some hearty slaps from Parvati and Lavender who had been caught up by the blast. Both girls looked at Harry with flirtatious smiles when he kindly Vanished the mess from both of them with a nifty laundry charm. Molly Weasley would be getting something nice for Christmas, Harry promised himself and he returned the smiles with one of his own making the pair devolve into giggles.

_Flirting Skill had increased! It is now 46!_

The noise level throughout the Great Hall dropped a bit though as the Heads of Houses walked down their House's tables to hand out the schedules. Hermione took hers with a quick hand, writing stuff down in a notebook with one hand and checking her watch a few times. Harry smiled at his friend, unnoticed, and took a look at his own schedule. His grin turned into a grimace. Double Potions. And it looked as though he would have Ancient Runes just after.

"Snape first thing in the morning?" Neville's groan was felt keenly by the 3rd year students. Harry took it with a grain of sugar though, at least he'd get to see how Daphne was getting along.

"I hear you mate." Ron said with his own dejected look at the schedule before him.

"At least we have Ancient Runes just after, Hermione," Harry said to the girl across from him.

"I have Muggle Studies after. Here, let me see" Hermione made that grabby motion with her hand that Harry found slightly endearing even if it came across as bossy to others. Her excitement for knowledge, even the slightest detail, gave his friend weird habits.

She took Harry's schedule and compared it to her own. "It looks like you don't have Ancient Runes with me at all. Maybe McGonagall made a mistake? Or you are in another group with the other houses. You should probably ask"

Harry took the schedule back and nodded. He stood up and headed up to the Head Table where McGonagall was just sitting down after handing out the schedules. Harry drew a few looks, most students not walking to the Head Table if they could help it, but they were easily ignored.

"Good morning, Professors." Harry greeted the table once he was close, Albus looked at the boy with a smile and returned the greeting, "Professor McGonagall I wanted to see if my schedule was correct. Ancient Runes is in a different slot than Hermione's"

"No mistake, Mr. Potter," McGonagall began "After replacing your Free Period, the only class that fit was Ancient Runes with the 4th years. When I submitted the homework that you had to complete for Professor Babbling to accept you into her class she said that your insight was well beyond what she would have expected for a 3rd Year. Even Ms. Granger was not praised so highly. Bathsheda, would you like to comment?"

The middle aged witch, much younger than her peers, looked up from her magazine with a piece of bacon hanging from her mouth, "Wazzat?"

A stern look from McGonagall, as if her colleague was a student, made Bathsheda Babbling bite the bacon and let the rest fall onto her plate. "Oh, Mr. Potter. Yes, your knowledge of Runes with no prior classwork was astounding. Mine is no easy class, but the way you compared the use of Geifu and Gear matched an obscure work that I doubt you had read before. My own thesis paper actually when I got my Mastery, which was never published. Minerva said you were foregoing your Free Period this year, and I jumped at the opportunity to give you a head start on some higher level work. It may be a bit hard at first, but I think you'll have no problem catching up. We'll give you the 3rd year test at the end of the week to confirm you have a firm enough understanding of the basics but I expect good things from you this year."

The Professor definitely lived up to her name as she rambled, Harry thought. "Thank you for that praise, Professor Babbling. I'll do my best."

"That clears it up, Professor," Harry said to McGonagall, "I'll stop interrupting your breakfast. Have a nice day"

Babbling watched Harry for a moment, then put the bacon back into her mouth and resumed reading the Quibbler Issue that had come out that morning. It was hardly a credible magazine, but Xenophilius had some interesting ideas about what Runes were used for what and Babbling would be lying if she said that the strange yet fresh opinions didn't pique her interest.

***Break***

The Potions Classroom was as dark and dingy as Harry remembered. A far cry from his own lab back home, which was well lit with a vent hood like a cooking range might have to keep the air clear. Harry spotted Daphne and began to head over and then stopped once Tracey took the seat that he was aiming for. Well, damn. Harry looked around for a moment. Hermione was pairing off with Neville. Seamus and Dean paired off as well.

"Well don't just stand around, Potter, take a seat" Snape's voice cut through the dungeon, his tone already irritable at seeing Harry trying to play off being a redhead now. Harry started to head next to Ron, and then that seat was taken as well by Fay Dunbar. He looked around with a sinking feeling, his options dwindling.

"Sit there, Potter. Or will you do the lesson standing up?" Snape pointed at, oh no, Pansy. Harry grimaced and resigned himself to his fate.

"Don't even think about talking to me, Potter" Pansy hissed at him as he placed his stuff down next to the girl.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Parkinson" Harry whispered. Snape in his usual style threw a recipe onto the board and then went around the room to collect summer homework and skulk like the dungeon bat he was.

Harry sighed, and diced the caterpillars. It needed to be finely diced to be able to dissolve appropriately in their allotted time, despite already being a small ingredient. Pandy busied herself peeling Shrivelfigs. They actually worked together fairly well, Pansy having quick and practiced hands, but the mood was tense and awkward.

Pansy would, every 30 seconds or so, glance at Harry with an odd look. She saw the way he handled the ingredients with a confident air, but never once did Harry seem to look at the board. However he wasn't following the instructions and just as Pansy was about to scold him she noticed that their Potion was more of a correct color than their peers.

"Why did you change the way you prepared the rat spleens?" Pansy had to ask. Her favorite subject was Potions, so to see a method that differed from the board but also produced a better looking Shrinking Solution sparked her interest.

"I thought that we weren't talking," Harry said to the girl. He took his wand out, shocking the girl, but cast a bag that he put the peeled Shrivelfigs into. The spell set the bag to a vigorous shaking.

"Shut up and answer the question, Potter. And what was that spell?" Pansy asked. She honestly had been dreading the task of shaking the small plants since it would have to be done for nearly 10 minutes nonstop. Theirs was the only station making use of a spell to manage it.

"Fine. I shaved the spleens over dicing them to allow for a more even distribution. It takes longer, but they dissolve faster to make up for it. As for the spell it is a spell used to make cocktails, and used a lot in cooking. 3 flicks and a swirl." Harry added in the wand motions, just to avoid needing to answer any follow up questions.

Pansy eyed the boy with a shrewd look, "Why would you be learning cocktail spells, Potter? Developed a drinking problem?"

Harry eyed the girl with a deadpan look, "You're going to make me develop a drinking problem trying to forget your dumb face."

Pansy gasped loudly, and then ducked down when Snape looked over. She might be a Slytherin, but Pansy also knew that if she drew the ire of Snape that he would bring the hammer down due to her partnership with Harry.

"You're such a dick." Pansy hissed at Harry when she saw that Snape had moved on. The Longbottom boy was sweating buckets with Snape standing right behind him but the Granger girl was keeping their Potion moving in the right order.

"Takes one to know one." Harry smiled at the girl mischievously. He held up an unpeeled Shrivelfig and mimed throwing it into Crabbe's Cauldron with a propositional look.

"No!" Pansy hissed at the boy. Then she remembered when Crabbe had stepped on her toe that morning. It still hurt a bit. "Let me do it."

Harry bit down on his chuckle when Crabbe's Cauldron started hissing and spitting and where it was supposed to be a purple was now an angry angry red. Maybe Parkinson wasn't so bad after all.

***Break***

Harry nervously approached the door to the Ancient Runes classroom. He had played it cool this morning but the idea of being thrown in head first into a 4th Year class was daunting even to the talented boy. He only had a 16 in Ancient Runes, he just happened to get lucky with noticing a similarity with Geifu and Gear. Damn Luck stat, you're never faithful. Luckily Harry knew that with a little bit of reading, and some practice, he could likely reach a 4th year level's understanding of the basics thanks to his Gamer Skills. He was just debating the merits in his head of whether Ancient Runes counted as a Language Skill influenced by his Linguist Perk when he saw some of the other students he would be taking the class with. Katie Bell and Cho Chang? Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Harry? Why are you standing outside our classroom. Did Oliver send you with a message or something?" Katie asked her teammate.

Harry waited just long enough for Katie's heart to drop into her stomach at the idea before grinning, "Nothing like that. I'm actually in this class. Apparently Babbling liked my summer homework so when there was a mixup with my schedule she agreed to place me one class up"

Katie smiled wide at his explanation. "That's awesome Harry! Congratulations! It will be cool to have another Gryffindor around. Do you want to sit with me?"

Harry smiled shyly at the girl. "Can I? I'm honestly a bit intimidated at the idea of starting a class higher than my peers."

It was technically a bit of a lie, but Harry also wanted an excuse to sit and talk with the girl outside of team dynamics. His little flirt on the plane had sparked a few ideas about taking the girl out to Hogsmeade, and Harry honestly wanted to see how well that would play out. Katie smiled and pulled him into the classroom where they found a spot in the upper rows. The room was very similar to the Charm's Classroom in that aspect.

***Break***

Harry watched the Professor walk in about 3 minutes late. He and Katie had made some small talk as though the tardiness was not uncommon but Katie had shushed him almost as soon as Babbling entered the room.

"Welcome back students. I see some of you have noticed that Mr. Potter has joined us in this class. Don't let his pretty eyes distract you though, there will be a lot to cover this year. Let's go over some of the things that we worked on at the end of term. Now, get out your stylus and let us draw together. Remember, clean crisp lines. Sharp points, correct angles. Proportion is key. If you're going for a larger cluster then every part of the rune must be equally larger. Don't forget the extra tools, your line guide and your angler. Mr. Potter, if I were to combine the Cen and Lagu runes, in that order, what would be the result" Babbling went from greeting to lesson almost instantly and Harry struggled a bit to keep up.

When she called on him, Harry's head snapped up in a panic. 'Think, think, Cen… Torch, so likely Flame or Heat. And then Lagu… Water, likely Flow, or Push.' Harry debated for a moment longer before speaking, "Either a Flame Thrower, or a Steam Rune."

"Hmm. An interesting theory. However the answer is that it would largely depend on which Rune was the Anchor, and which the Power. If Lagu is the Anchor, you are correct that you would end up with a Steam Rune as long as the cluster was placed into a water source or had one poured onto it. If Cen is the Anchor it changes the entire dynamic and you end up with a simple Light Rune. Who else can tell me of some of the basic combinations we went over last year. Belby!"

And so the class went, with Harry furiously taking notes with a small grin. Despite her young age Babbling really knew her stuff and clearly had a passion for the subject. She also wasn't afraid to admit that not all ideas were dumb ones and there was more than one way to approach a Cluster. Harry also didn't mind his Notifications, which pinged a total of 3 times. For one class. That was likely due to the advanced nature of the class but it would go a long way for him.

***Break***

"Hermione, no." Harry said to the bushy haired girl when she grilled him during lunch on what Ancient Runes was like. She had done some 'light reading' and wanted to see if her ideas were mentioned in any of his notes.

"Why not?" Hermione glared angrily while she piled her lunch plate up.

"Because, it was my first class too. If I say something wrong you'll end up making a fool of yourself. And! You don't need to be looking ahead when you're going to have enough running through that pretty head of yours with all of your other classes. Maybe in a month or so we can start debating some of the Runes but I was barely able to keep up as is. I'll save my notes for you to review later in the year." Harry sighed and finally relaxed after trying to fight off Hermione. His 'pretty head' comment had earned him some mashed potatoes to the face which he just licked off.

Katie Bell had glanced over at Harry more than once since they had walked into the Great Hall together. It had shocked her a bit to see Harry in an advanced class and he had actually answered a question half right. She was a bit impressed. He also had respected her rule of no talking during class, class time was note time. Then when they had walked down to the Great Hall the had chatted the entire way there without bringing up Quidditch once.

Alicia poked Katie when she sat down, and laughed at the younger Chaser when she jumped a bit, "Knut for your thoughts, Katie?"

Katie glared at her for a moment, before glancing at Harry once again. Alicia grinned when she noticed it, she had a keen eye for these things. "Get it, girl"

"What?" Katie asked with a blush.

"Something I saw on a Muggle television show when I visited Angelina. It basically means go for it." Alicia piled together a sandwich and covered it in pepper. She eyed Katie when the girl looked confused, and sighed when she set the sandwich back down. "I see you tossing eyes over there."

Katie blushed a bit and used a book as a barrier between her and Harry to discuss this with Alicia, "Alright, fine, I… He's in my Ancient Runes class now, tested up a level or something. We talked together on the way down and it was … nice actually. We'd never really just chatted like that. Plus, in case you hadn't noticed, he's gotten really cute."

"Are you convincing me or yourself?" Alicia whispered back to the girl coyly.

"I… shut up, I was making an observation. But if I go for it, and I'm seeing things, what if it makes it awkward for the team?" Katie was interrupted by Angelina sitting down with them as well.

Alicia nodded solemnly and sat up from their cover. Smiling at the girl and holding her hand in support she looked over at Harry and yelled, loudly, "Hey Harry! Do you want to go with Katie to Hogsmeade?"

Katie looked like a deer in headlights, the hand she would have used to cover her friend's mouth had had a supportive gesture now turned into a handcuff. Her friend was so nonchalant sometimes that Katie often wondered why she bothered telling Alicia anything.

Harry looked over at them at the announcement, and grinned at Katie's almost comical wide-eyed betrayed look that she was shooting Alicia. "Yeah, sounds fun!"

*Fin*

A/N: Hmmm. Mixed feelings about this one. I had almost posted it but then gave it a hard once over. I wish I could tell you what had been in it before but I'm a bit happier with this product.

Review answers below.

Beccasullivanwrites1: Thank you for the review!

Adrian King1: It was not an issue. Harry has a few waves planned. Thanks for the review!

TheGreatBubbaJ: Thank you for the review as always! I hope you'll critique me on this one, it's probably my weakest chapter in a while.

AvidReader2425: haha, Snape falling that much would be kind of funny. I have another plan for the dungeon bat though.

SeranoirStarfall: Definitely a possibility! I don't want to bog Harry down with too many Skills though, so if anything gets added it will be after much consideration.

Kuman: You have a keen eye. That was meant to be 750. Thank you for the review!

SkylerHollow: Thank you for the continued support!

Nina0116: I reread this review at least 3 times to help me get through this chapter. Thank you for the continued support!

Storp930: Thank you for the review! Harry's relationships will take a few more turns before I decide on one. As for the Relationships page I thought I put in somewhere that I would be tracking that off screen.

Frankieu: Power creep is the worst. Harry is definitely stronger this time around, but I'm trying not to have him reach "Voldemort is beatable" level until much later. Thank you for the continued support!

Naruswolf: Great advice! Most of my side plots are part of the puzzles for my main plot, and it can get a little too tempting to put one in somewhere. I'm trying to reign that back in so that the next 4-5 chapters will flow smoothly.

Pictureme: thank you for the review! I researched what his position would have earned him with the wage standards back in that day before I placed it, and am pretty happy with it.


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: Welcome back once more! I went to sleep after posting that last chapter and I'm probably going to pass 300 reviews within the next chapter or 2. I need to do something special for that. I dunno what yet but let's see how this chapter and the next play out. I'll cook up something good. Let's hop right into it though because some people were like "whoa, a date? Where's the buildup?" haha. That was intentional.

And Away We Go!

Chapter 20: First Day and First Night

"Why did you do that?" Katie hissed to her friend, her face beet red from Alicia shouting across the Great Hall to ask out Harry for her.

"Because you were going to overthink it, like you did with the last 2 boys you fancied, and end up chickening out." Alicia said with a smile and finally released Katie's hand to pat it a few times and set into her sandwich. She grimaced that it had gotten cold a little bit but it was still good.

"I don't even know if i fancy him! We talked, like you said, for 3 minutes. About some Ancients Runes stuff. I wanted to have a few more classes with him, maybe talk a bit in the Common Room." Katie sulked while Angelina shot the girl an apologetic smile. Alicia was sometimes too gungho about going for it, part of the reason Alicia was their penalty shooter since she had basically unbreakable nerves.

"Well now you'll have a Hogsmeade weekend to chat. What would you have done if someone else had noticed that our little Seeker isn't quite so little anymore and asked him out before you did? Hmm?" And Katie could find no fault in the logic. It did kind of take the nervousness out of the equation and give her a fair shake at exploring this.

"You're the worst," Katie said, not wanting to give Alicia the satisfaction. Her words caused Angelina to snort loudly.

"At least you have a date already" Angelina said, shooting a longing side eye at Fred. "I have had absolutely no luck after my last boyfriend, that stupid boy from Hufflepuff who shall remain nameless"

"See? Even Angelina agrees." Alicia put the issue to bed.

Katie was about to continue the mild scolding though when a piece of paper appeared over her lunch salad. It floated there for a moment, but Katie snatched it out of the air when she saw Alicia about to reach over and take it. Katie sent a glare at Alicia and unfolded the mysterious paper. It was from Harry, saying to meet him outside in the courtyard in 10 minutes. She glanced up to see Harry with a small smile aimed her way. Katie was also excited to see that his ears were a little red as well, despite his earlier confidence.

Harry was indeed blushing just a bit. He had played it off when Alicia had shouted at him. But now he was getting some jealous looks from… a lot of people. Katie Bell was quite the attractive witch so more than a couple boys were giving him the stink eye. And quite a few witches were jealous of the easy date the Chaser had just received, their own plans of trying to get a date with Harry going up in flames. Hermione too, Harry noticed, gave Harry a very weird look when the date had been yelled across the Great Hall. That was something Harry would want to ask about if he could think of a way to bring it up.

Harry finished his lunch faster than he normally would and headed out of the Great Hall, Katie leaving 1 minute after to try, in vain, not to draw attention to the fact that they were leaving together.

The Courtyard was quiet, only a few students enjoying the fresh air before their next class so Harry was able to pick out a decent bench with some shade and a breeze. Katie spotted him as she exited the Great Hall and headed over. They stared at each other, blushes growing, before Harry gestured to the seat across from him.

Katie was the first one to work up the nerve to speak, "Sorry about that, Alicia is… well. I don't know what she is to be honest."

Harry almost chuckled at the way Katie acted confident enough to speak up first, unsure enough not to know what to say, and loyal enough not to make fun of her friend. An interesting mix. "That's fine. She honestly did me a favor, I had been thinking about asking you to Hogsmeade since the train ride."

"Really?" Katie asked excitedly before coughing and saying in a calmer tone, "I mean, that's so nice of you to say"

Harry had to chuckle that time, "Of course. I just wasn't sure how to go about it, I mean we've had maybe a grand total of 20 minutes of conversation since we last saw each other this summer."

"I know what you mean. That was a nice party though. Hogsmeade is what, in a week?" Katie fished for something to say.

"Yeah, this weekend. They're starting earlier this year but I guess that works out in my favor so I'm not freaking out even longer" Harry joked, hiding the truth of his own words in a bit of humour.

Katie saw right through it though, "Why would you be freaking out?"

Harry blushed and looked to the side, "Well, I've fancied you since last year if I'm being honest."

Katie blushed as well but smiled wide at the confession. She had honestly had a small thing for him as well, but that was more being impressed at Harry's flying skills and his bravery. Now, well, the list had definitely grown and she would leave it at that.

"Do you want to maybe go for a walk after dinner? Knock some of these nerves out of the air so that we can enjoy the weekend?" Harry scratched his head nervously.

"I would like that Harry," Katie said with a beaming smile.

***Break***

Harry's grin as he walked back into the Great Hall for the rest of lunch was opposed by the well hidden furrowing of brow on Daphne's face. The loud announcement had been heard even by the snakes, and the whispering throughout the Great Hall had reached an all time high. She was… what was this. Grumpy at the lack of decorum in the way the date had been decided?

Tracey looked up from her lunch and tracked Daphne's eyes over to where Harry was sitting back down with Hermione. She had looked down, that sting still fresh if slowly lessening, when she too had heard the date get shouted across the Hall. Tracey glanced at her friend, the blonde's emotions apparent only to her due to years of practice.

"You okay, Daph?" She said in a whisper, disguising her words in the clutter of discreet conversations around her.

"Hmm? Of course, why would I not be?" Daphne's actions did not match her calm words, the small chicken cutlet on her plate being the outlet of the girl's well hidden frustration about something.

"You know… nevermind. We can talk about it later" Tracey busied herself with eating as well.

"Just say what you want to say," Daphne said coolly. Her knife was making a bit more scraping noise as she cut into her food with a little anger.

"Fine. You know I wouldn't mind if you took a chance with Harry, right?" Tracey whispered this just enough for her friend to hear and then winced when Daphne's knife scraped the plate a little harder. God that noise made her teeth hurt.

"I have no idea what you're insinuating," Daphne huffed. Her chicken was now finely diced but her appetite wasn't what it had started out as.

Tracey side eyed her friend, "If you say so"

Daphne grumbled to herself quietly and forced herself to eat a few bites. Was that what was bothering her? Was she jealous of Katie? Of Harry? Daphne knew that Harry would probably say yes to a date, if for nothing else then at least to be polite. But the rumor mill would eat that up for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and for dinner. The Wardship made most relationships have a hidden context that Daphne didn't want to have over her head. It also would make things much too awkward even if the rumor mill was taken out of the equation. So… yes Daphne was a bit jealous of the date but also a bit jealous of the freedom of being able to shout for a date across a crowded Great Hall and face less rumors than if her and Harry were spotted alone for even a minute in Madam Puddifoots. Tracey's hand came under the table and patted Daphne's knee in silent support.

***Break***

Hermione watched her friend as they walked down the hill to Hagrid's hut, the location of Care of Magical Creatures. Harry was chatting with Seamus Finnigan about something, but Hermione's mind was too far gone to try and follow along with it. What was this sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach? Was she… Was she jealous of Harry's date? The preposterousness of the idea shocked her for but a moment before the truth of the idea hit her. Hermione had thought about it long and hard just the other day, and had come to the conclusion that she might be fancying her newly redheaded friend. It was new for her, having previously only been interested in books and other academia, but she couldn't deny that Harry had grown up quite a bit since the start of summer and in more ways than she had fingers. She remembered Harry's teasing tone at his party, about exploring Hermione's interest in his new bachelor status, and knew that her friend only looked at her in platonic light. She sighed and put it out of her mind. There was a lesson to attend after all.

"Afternoon, Class! Step close, step close! Welcome t' Care o' Magical Creatures. Feel free to jus' call me 'Agrid, the Professor bit is still new" Hagrid beamed out at the gathered students. Harry grinned at the half giant's excitement at finally being able to teach. He had helped the man, subtly, gain some confidence at teaching others with his frequent visits so Harry was excited to see how the man did.

"Now, I wan' you all to take out your books and open 'em to page 36." Hagrid said.

"How are we supposed to do that, without the bloody things taking a finger?" Draco eyed his own book, wrapped firmly in a belt, with a look of disgust.

Harry smiled at the giant man and spoke up, his own book having appeared from nowhere and open in his hand, "You stroke the spine, Heir Malfoy. Gentle and easy like a creature. Opens right up."

"I didn't ask for your opinion, Potter" Malfoy spat. He listened though, as did the other students, and they all had the indicated page open. Harry smirked at Malfoy and winked. He made a show of holding up 4 fingers, a reminder of how many times so far Draco had forgotten his title. He even gave them a wiggle, as though a wave, at Draco's outraged expression.

"5 Poin's to Gryffindor for a good explanation. The book is meant to teach ya to stay calm in the face of a wild beast. Most o' them, sharp fangs an' all, turn into righ' sweethearts if treated appropriately an' that's what yer here t' learn. So make sure you pay attention, listen to the instructions, and don't goof off!" Hagrid boomed the last part, to make sure every student heard it loud and clear. Harry even noticed the half giant dropped his accent as best as he could. Hagrid beamed when Harry sent him a thumbs up.

"I wanted t' star' things off with a flair for you all, so I got us some interesting creatures. 'Fore I bring ya to 'em though who can tell me abou' Hippogriffs?" Hagrid asked the class.

Harry and Hermione both raised their hands high, Harry having shared the secret of the book to the girl after he had spotted, in his manor, that she had tied it up in a scarf. "Ms. Granger, if ya will"

"Hippogriffs are a magical beast that has the front legs, wings, and head of a giant eagle and the body, hind legs and tail of a horse. It is very similar to another magical creature, the Griffin, with the horse section replacing the lion. They are proud creatures, and do not take kindly to insults of any sort which they are able to easily understand as they are highly intelligent hybrids with a triple X rating of danger." Hermione gave a clinical explanation, like always.

"Righ' you are! 5 Points. Now, hippogriffs, they're proud. Easily offended. Don't ever insult one, 'cause i' migh' be the last thing ya do. Ya always wait for the hippogriff to make the firs' move. Ya walk towards one, and ya bow, an' ya wait. Maintain eye contac' the whole time, don't blink or you'll make 'em skeptical of ya. If, an' ONLY IF, they bow back, ya migh' be allowed to touch one. If they don't bow, then get away and stay away. That won't be for another lesson or two though, so I can ge' a feel for ya all." Hagrid made sure that his words were heard, and then led them around the house to the paddock. Inside were beautiful creatures, half eagle and half horse, nosing the ground in an attempt to find a snack.

"These lovelies are the Hippogriffs. Ya go' Buckbeak, Eagleeye, Talon, Featherclaw, and Pete." Hagrid indicated each one of the 5 gathered, and Harry let out an unintentional guffaw at the oddity of such names followed by the normal name of Pete.

"Pete here is my newest one, didn' get t' name 'im. He's a sweetheart though, and he knows he's a pretty boy." Hagrid chuckled along with the class as Pete's head shot up at his name and he strutted around a bit. Pretty boy indeed.

Hagrid pulled out a bucket of fish, and indicated to the class to put on some gloves by placing some on his own hands. Harry knew the man didn't need them, Hagrid's skin was likely near as thick on its own, but it wouldn't do for Hagrid to flout the safety precautions and then try to enforce them. Hagrid winked at Harry, who grinned. Harry had bought Hagrid the pair just that summer as a token of appreciation of the lessons Harry had learned from the half giant.

"We'll start off simple. Diet. The easies' creature t' approach is one who isn't hungry. Hippogriffs here are meat eaters. Small rodents, snakes, even some insects are the bulk of their meals. These fellas, and lady. Sorry Featherclaw." Hagrid apologized to the roan colored Hippogriff, revealed to be female, who had bristled at being called a fella, "These lovelies have acquired a taste for the fish o' Black Lake. I wan' each of ya to take a fish here. Firm grip, they're dry on the scales t' avoid slippin', and when I call your name I want ya t' step up here t' the fence. I'll call out a name o' one o' the Hippogriffs and let's find out who was payin' attention by havin' ya toss the fish out. High as you can an' as close t' the named Hippogriff as ya can. We'll get t' see 'em in action a bit" Hagrid handed out the fish and Harry took one with an impressed look. Hagrid really had a knack for teaching, as long as he was careful about how excited he got around the creatures and remembered not a single student had his large frame or thick skin.

"Granger!" Hagrid called out, and Hermione nervously stepped up to the fence. Hagrid beamed at the girl and then called out "Buckbeak!"

Hermione, despite having a weaker arm than most, made a good arc with her fish and Buckbeak screeched before flapping his wings once to get some height and snatched the fish out of the air to the ooo's of the students. The chain that held Buckbeak to a large post in the ground rattled but held easily. Hagrid had made sure that the chains were new, and even requested Dumbledore hit them with some magic to reinforce them as Hagrid was likely to reuse them in future classes. There would be no accidents today. "Next! Thomas!"

***Break***

"That was brilliant! Did you see Eagleeye's jump? And his wingspan? Easily a meter longer than the others!" Dean Thomas's voice was as excited as the rest of them as they headed back up to the Castle. Harry's grin was wider than most though. Pete had scared Hagrid a bit when Harry was called up, by stretching to the end of his chain to get close potentially in offense to Harry's earlier guffaw. Harry had met the Hippogriffs eyes and bowed, and received a bow in return! The fish had been a welcome apology that the pretty boy Hippogriff had accepted. Hagrid had beamed at Harry for that one. Harry's wide smile was for how well the lesson had gone, though. Harry knew what the alternative was and he was glad that Hagrid had gained a bit of confidence from teaching Harry one on one over the summer. And some caution.

***Break***

Harry looked around the classroom in interest. The grindylows were in their tank, a few other creatures were displayed through a detailed drawing of them and hung up as posters. Overall the room had a very different vibe than their previous Defense Professors. Remus Lupin was standing in the middle of the room and the desks were all pushed to the back wall and stacked.

"Come in, come in. I've had my share of sitting down today so I wanted to do something a bit more active. Line up, just ahead there." Remus indicated an area in front of him.

The students, minus Harry, were nervous and some of them a little put off by the idea that Remus might be like Lockhart and have them act out scenes.

"Right. So I've reviewed your lessons thus far from Professor Quirrell and Prof… Let's just call him Lockhart, shall we?" Remus joked and a few chuckles made it through the group of students.

"I've reviewed those lessons and found a disturbing lack of any real exposure to the dark creatures that you are supposed to be recognizing and defending against. There is also a lack of any real spellwork. We'll look to have as much of that set right as we can over the course of the year and hopefully you will all feel much more confident come exam time both in your knowledge and your casting. To that vein, I have procured a wide menagerie of creatures including this little guy right here" Remus floated the tank with the Grindylow over to them and they all eagerly craned their heads to see it.

"Who can tell me what this is? Yes, you, umm" Remus fished for the name of the girl.

"Daphne Greengrass, Sir. That is a Grindylow." Harry covered his mouth to hide a chuckle, Daphne never said more than necessary and it seemed that it threw Remus off his game a bit when the girl didn't elaborate. The silence lasted 5 seconds before Remus decided to speak.

"R-Right. 3 points to Slytherin. Can you tell me any details that you know about the Grindylow?" Remus pressed for more information.

"The Grindylow makes its home in the shallow weed beds in lakes and water of Britain and Ireland. They primarily eat fish and algae but, if they have an established population, have been known to be capable of eating a person, earning them a dark creature classification" Daphne said succinctly.

"Much better and quite to the point. Speaking of points, take 7 more for a clean explanation" Remus said with a smile, "Yes, Grindylows are creatures of the water. They may look humanoid but their behaviour is more in line with a particularly cunning amphibian or reptile than a human's. They further exhibit amphibious traits by having a larval stage of their development, known as a Grypt. One or two has not proved much of an issue for an adult wizard, they only have a danger rating of XX, but these creatures can reach sizes of just around a meter and a half and therefore pose a significant risk to students and animals. This is why, besides the Giant Squid, it is ill advised to swim in the Black Lake as the Grindylow population there is quite large due to the Merpeople within who are the only known sentients able to tame Grindylows. You'll see here that Grindylows have a three fingered appendage and almost an octopus style to their lower body. The fingers have suction cups, much like the octopus or squid, and these have an almost magical grip to them similar to a Sticking Charm. That grip is how they catch their prey and why most of their victims will drown before being eaten. Grisly stuff, but you must know the risks of the creatures you encounter. It is that grip that you must learn to manage, and the spell for that is Relashio. The Revulsion Jinx. This Jinx is much like the Disarming Charm, that I am sure that you are all familiar with, in that it will cause the target to release whatever they are holding. So, I want you all to pair up. Grab one of these balls here. You will switch off, one with their wand and one with the ball. Hold the ball as tight as you can, and see if your partner is able to get you to let go of it."

Harry was grinning hard, another hands on lesson would go over well with the students. He glanced around for a moment in search of a partner and was surprised to see Daphne make her way over.

The blonde grabbed his arm, not needing words to claim him as a partner, and they headed off to their own section of the room. Harry wandlessly Summoned one of the balls as he was led away earning a shocked look from Remus to which he only winked.

"Stealing me away, Greengrass?" Harry smirked at the girl, who dropped his arm at the words like it was on fire.

"No. I just know that Tracey is not the best when it comes to practical spellwork and I wanted a partner that might know what they're doing." Daphne glared at him for his cheeky words.

"I guess that makes sense. Do you want to go first and I'll hold the ball?" Harry positioned himself about 5 feet from her and gripped the ball tightly. It was foam, and therefore molded to his fingers well.

"Fine." Daphne said.

Remus waited until everyone had a partner and a ball, "Alright, there are no true wand motions for the Revulsion Jinx, though some practitioners have said that a whip-like movement has helped them learn it in the past. It will produce purple sparks that above water are not harmful, so try not to dodge too much. Give the spell a go and then switch off. Begin!"

"Relashio!" the students cried at various volumes. The results were a little more lackluster. Daphne's spell fizzled out halfway to Harry. Neville's made him drop his own wand but that might have been the vigorous whip motion he had used. Ron's spell surprisingly made Seamus drop the ball and so, less surprisingly, did Hermione's. Tracey's blew her partner, Bulstrode, back onto her rear but did not make the girl drop the ball so tight was the large girl's grip.

Harry tossed the ball to Daphne and drew his own wand. "I see what you mean about Tracey, Bulstrode over there does not look happy with how that went for her."

"Precisely." Daphne said with a grin, dropping the ball easily with Harry's spell.

"How have you been? We haven't had a chance to talk in the other classes so far" Harry decided to try and talk to the girl some given the chance. Her spell impacted Harry this time and he grimaced slightly at the Notification.

_Spell stopped with Magical Aura!_

Daphne mistook the grimace as Harry fighting the spell and maintaining his grip, "I'm doing quite well. Tracey and I were able to have our talk and the classes so far have been interesting. You must be doing quite well yourself"

"What do you mean?" Harry's curious look covered him intentionally missing the spell and hitting Draco behind the girl, causing the boy to drop his wand.

_Pranking Skill has increased! It is now 27! 1 Boon Point unused!_

"Watch that aim, Mr. Potter" Remus called from the front of the class. Harry nodded with a smile and a wink to the Professor, earning him a calculated look in return.

Daphne smirked slightly at Harry. She knew from seeing him display his dueling prowess that Harry's aim rarely went where he didn't want it to. Draco cursed behind her and lost 2 Points for language when Harry did it again. Remus's warning look let Harry know not to go for a 3rd.

"I mean your well publicized date for this weekend" Daphne said coolly. She was shocked when Harry dropped the ball at her spell, an odd look in his eyes.

"Is there a problem with who I'm taking, or that I'm taking someone at all," Harry said carefully but with a tinge of annoyance.

Daphne's look was deadpan, "You know me well enough that it doesn't matter to me if you take a Muggleborn or a Half-Blood, Potter. And your business is your own, you can snog every girl in this school for all I care."

Harry noted the tinge of annoyance creeping into Daphne's own tone. "I won't take her if you're opposed to it"

"Why would my opposition, of which I have already said I have none, matter?" Daphne dropped the ball. The rest of the class seemed to be getting the hang of the spell as well. Harry glanced around, and a discrete wave of his hand and a muttered word had a Muffliato cast around the pair.

_Wandless Magic Skill has increased! It is now 7!_

"Your opinions matter to me, Daph" Harry said, using her nickname to let her know their words were a measure more private. "If you don't want me to take Katie, I won't"

"That's honestly the most stupid thing I have ever heard you say, Harry," Daphne chided him, "My opinions, which are indifferent in this matter, shouldn't stop you from taking someone out on a date if that is your wish"

Harry nodded, accepting the truth of the words, "I understand that. But I… I don't know. I don't want to offend you with my choices of companions. I may be taking more than one girl out this year and it would fill me with regret if I knew you took offense at that."

Daphne sighed and ignored the twinge her heart gave at his words, "For the last time, Harry, who you take out on a date is your own business. It's not like I'm jealous. I am your Ward, and therefore will support you in the decisions you make as Head of House"

Harry cringed at the reminder that she was his Ward. It felt like a slap to his face, if he were honest with himself. He had some plans to rectify that but it would take some time to put together. Still, her words hurt a bit, "Thank you for your support, Heir Greengrass"

Daphne knew by the tone and name choice that she had overstepped a bit, and the conversation between the pair ceased. By the time the bell rang the rest of the class had Mastered the use of the Jinx.

***Break***

Dinner was a welcome affair for all of the student's and one topic that Harry had picked up from bits and pieces around him was how well Remus's and especially Hagrid's lessons had been received by the various years. McGonagall smiled proudly at the half-giant when a 5th year student came by to thank Hagrid personally for a solid lesson, and knew that there would be a few students at least picking the class back up from the earlier dropouts.

Harry grinned at Hagrid who was nothing but smiles and blushes from the praise he had gotten that day. It was nice to see the half-giant succeed where he had plenty of chances to fail. The lesson had been informative, fun, and above all safe. A fantastic start.

Hermione seemed to be pretty tired across from him and Harry was aware that she had taken 1 more class than him that day. To help out his friend he piled a plate high for her with some of her favorites and slid it across without a word. Hermione looked up at him gratefully from her book that she was studying. Harry cocked an eyebrow at the book and with a sheepish smile Hermione closed it and started eating.

Ron joined them a little later, having been held up by trying to find a seat not next to Harry, but as everyone had worked up an appetite from the hands-on lessons of the day the seats were hard to come by.

"Hey, Ron," Harry said politely when the boy joined them. Hermione chose not to acknowledge Ron, still a bit annoyed at Ron for saying she had slept with Harry.

"Hey, Harry. Hey, Hermione. Blimey, I'm starving" Ron said and piled a massive plate in front of himself. Harry suspected that it was equal parts hunger and desire not to talk that had prompted the boy to dig in with such gusto.

Harry nodded but declined to comment. Instead he cast his eyes up and down the table for Astoria, who he finally spotted near the end giggling with the other First Year Gryffindors. Seems she was able to make some friends after all, Harry thought with a soft smile. The girls' bubbly disposition seemed to be a good glue and the group Astoria was with would listen well enough when she spoke. Harry waved at Astoria when she noticed Harry looking their way and the small blonde waved back leading to Astoria getting pulled down for some urgent whispering with Romilda Vane.

Ginny was his next observation, she was seated with the Creevey boy near the middle of the table. It appeared that might not have been entirely due to her choice, as Colin tried his best to talk the redheaded girl's ear off. Harry was conflicted heavily about what to do with the girl, as Tyran's recent appearance had made him remember a lot of things from the beginning of his adventure. That included the apparent life-debt that Harry had over Ginny. A visit to the Library would be in order to see what sort of information he could dig up about that particular peculiarity of Magic.

Shaking off his worry about others, Harry spied Katie glancing at him shyly from a few places down. Harry grinned at the cute brunette. At least he had a nice walk to look forward to. This prompted him to dig into his meal with a proper abandon, though he of course used his utensils well and used his napkin frequently unlike the crumbstorm that was Ron next to him. When he did talk, it was usually with Hermione across from him about some of their classes.

***Break***

Harry set down his small helping of dessert that he had just polished off and excused himself. Hermione looked up and tried to stop him with pleading eyes but he was already halfway to the door. Damn long legs, Hermione thought to herself. Hermione glanced at Ron who seemed wholly concerned with keeping his eyes on his food and sighed. The dessert was too good to leave behind so she stayed to at least finish it. Maybe a bit of book reading while she ate would make it less awkward without Harry for a buffer.

Ron glanced up when he heard a page turn, Hermione was reading again like always. He was conflicted about her. He knew, logically, that he should apologize but was too proud to admit it. Plus she had left him to get his hide tanned by his mother, never a fun occurrence for a teenager. But… he missed her, Harry too. Neville and Dean were alright, and Seamus could be a right hoot in the right circumstances, but they hadn't dived into the 3rd Floor Corridor with him. Nor faced a Mountain Troll. They were his friends but they weren't his best friends.

Deciding he should get it over with he swallowed hard, both to calm his nerves and finish his bite. Maybe a sip of Pumpkin juice as well. Oh, but his dessert would get stale if he left it alone too long Ron reminded himself. If only it didn't dry his mouth out like that he used as an excuse to keep going. Disturbed from the loop by a noise across from him Ron looked up to see Hermione leaving. Ron sighed heavily.

***Break***

Katie eyed Harry as they walked together. They were leaving well before most people did after dinner so the grounds were quiet and lit almost brightly by the full moon. Katie stared at the way the light gave the grass an interesting glow.

"Thanks for coming with me," Harry said softly, not wanting to ruin the peace of the walk with a louder than necessary voice.

"Of course. It's a nice night." Katie replied nervously. Harry nodded his agreement and they headed towards the water and the sparse beach nearby. The wind off the water gave the air a slight chill with the soft breeze. It was agreeable though, not too chilly after a warm day.

"So, what would you like to do when we go to Hogsmeade? You don't seem like a Madam Puddifoot's type." Harry joked weakly. Not his best work, but it kept the conversation going.

Katie however smiled at the question, "I tend to go to Scrivenshaft's to browse. I actually enjoy using a quill and sometimes they have some updated line guides for Ancient Runes."

"So is Ancient Runes your favorite class?" Harry prompted. The conversation seemed to be coming a little easier and the pair began to walk around the lake.

"Yes, actually. As I said I enjoy writing but I also like to draw a bit. Ancient Runes can kind of feel like both and once we move onto more complex Runes it really will start to feel like that." Katie's grin about talking about her dual passions sparked a grin of Harry's own.

"I didn't know you were an artist, that's pretty cool." Harry spoke truthfully. He had never really gotten to know Katie before, so this was new territory for him.

"It's kind of my backup plan and my hobby if Professional Quidditch doesn't work out" Katie said. The pair found a big enough rock to rest against and both stopped a moment to rest.

"You want to go pro? That's awesome!" Harry sat on the ground with his back to the rock after conjuring a blanket, earning him a thank you and an impressed look when Katie joined him. They weren't close enough to be improper but Katie could feel the warmth that Harry seemed to radiate. They were downwind of the breeze now and the rock served to block the chill.

"But really hard to pull off. I do alright in Charms and Potions, and could probably do a desk job somewhere with art to supplement but yeah, Pro is the real dream. Have you thought about it?" Katie leaned into the rock gently in case it was pointy, luckily it was pretty flat.

"I've thought about it, but I've always felt drawn to be an Auror or something similar." Harry admitted. The appeal of Pro Quidditch Player was there but it just felt… boring. He might dabble in it, maybe join an Amateur League, but Auror was where his heart was.

"Ooo, I bet you'd be good at that. You can already cast Wandless spells which by the way is bloody awesome." Katie bumped her shoulder into Harry as a weird kind of pat on the back.

The moonlight did well to hide Harry's blush at the praise, and the lightning that seemed to go through him at Katie's contact. "Yeah, I've been getting a lot of practice. Comes with my irresistible charm for the face of danger"

Katie blushed a bit, irresistible charm indeed she thought. "There are a lot of rumors about all of that. I won't pry though. But I've been meaning to ask, why the hair change?"

"It might actually make you laugh," Harry said softly, and Katie saw the weird look in his eye at the question.

"I wouldn't laugh," Katie promised, and she scooted just a little bit closer.

"It's actually for my mum. Everyone always said I looked exactly like my dad but with my mother's eyes and… I just wanted a bit more than that. So I settled on red hair" Harry, having noticed the poorly hidden scooting also moved just a hair closer to the older girl.

"That's actually really sweet. And it looks good with the eyes, so bonus points for that" Katie lightened the mood with a small compliment and grinned when she could, ever so faintly in the moonlight, see Harry's cheeks darken in a blush.

"A bit of revenge for my compliment on the train?" Harry side-eyed Katie with a smirk.

"More like the saucy walk you gave me after" Katie giggled at the reminder of how goofy Harry was in that small moment.

"Saucy? That was elegance and class and you know it" Harry defended himself, and Katie laughed. The night was warmer without the wind so Katie shedded her outer robe.

"Was it now? I think you need to fire your etiquette teacher." Harry chuckled at her words. He noticed her shed her robe, but declined to comment. He wasn't even in an outer robe, but was still pretty warm without that breeze.

"That one Fred taught me actually, said it would win over the ladies," Harry smiled at her.

"Oh it would, would it?" Katie smiled back. Her heart was doing flips in her chest at how Harry's eyes were locked onto hers.

"Well it worked, didn't it?" Harry's smile turned into a smirk and Harry noticed that Katie's eyes darkened just a hair.

_Flirting Skill has increased! It is now 47!_

"I suppose that's true, but you haven't won me quite yet." Katie scooted just a hair closer to the boy and their arms touched. The warmth that Harry was radiating seemed to increase now that she was touching him. What had gotten into her?

"I'll certainly enjoy trying some more though." Harry placed his arm around her shoulders nervously, but relaxed when Katie leaned against him.

"I think I'll enjoy seeing that." Katie laughed. She had noticed his nerves, and patted herself on the back for giving them to him. They watched the water for another 10 minutes just enjoying the peace and quiet of the night.

***Break***

"Do you see that?" Katie asked Harry quietly, the first thing she had said since they had assumed their current position. It was the slight tinge of fear that made Harry lean forward a bit, and then he saw it too. Eyes, watching them from the woodline. A chill went down Harry's spine.

"Yeah. Let's stand up nice and easy, and head back. I'll keep an eye behind us." Harry said to the girl and stood up with a smile on his face. He helped Katie up as though nothing was amiss and they both started walking towards the Castle. Harry heard it more than saw it, the creature was causing just the faintest rustle as it matched their pace. Thoughts as to what it could be prompted Harry to pull out the Marauder's map. If it was Sirius, this would let him know.

Katie looked at the paper curiously, but Harry simply tapped it with his wand and whispered, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good"

"What?" Katie said, but Harry shook his head and put a finger to his lips. He glanced at the Map, and then stopped and stared.

"Fly." Harry said urgently, letting go of her hand. The Map was willed away and he drew his wand. "Katie, fly back to the Castle!"

Katie stared at Harry in shock. Harry's urgent words and sudden change of demeanor shocked her. "What do you mean?"

"FLY!" Harry said, and Harry pushed his Firebolt into her hand. From the woodline came the howl of a wolf.

*Fin*

A/N: DUN DUN DUN! I love doing this to you guys.

Review answers below.

Frankieu: Thank you! Yeah, Harry's a bit intimidating right now.

Ronin Kenshin: Thank you for the review!

Thundramon: Thank you so much for this review! I'm trying to make people human in this universe. Flaws, quirks, all of that. The scene where Dumbledore explained Jackson's life to Harry was by far my favorite scene I've ever written in anything.

Vallavarayan: In my canon Alicia did it first lol.

Adrian King1: I put some interaction for you! And now she dies! MUAHAHAHAHA! Thanks for the review!

Nina0116: Aww thank you for the review!

TheGreatBubbaJ: Harry wanted to give her space. He knows that he can't be everywhere at once, or control what she encounters. For the sake of giving her that freedom he has chosen to trust her to come to him if she needs help. It might blow up in his face, but he didn't want to press. I really liked Babbling as well, kind of a mad scientist vibe. As for Astoria, Harry hasn't found out about a Healing Skill or anything like that. He doesn't know where he would start and running around with his head cut off to try and fix it could end up pushing Astoria away.

AvidReader2425: That's kind of what he's doing, just without actually having to do it. His "skim" ability is that he basically looks at a page for less than a second and reads it.

Mestre720: Thank you for the review! I will!

Stars90: It's a friend who didn't want to see Katie miss her chance! So… a confident one! Thank you for the review!

The Royal Mage: Potentially! More like even Pansy can see that Harry is different!

Firetemplar415: Yes, poor Katie. Now she's running for her life! Muahahahaha!

Kairan1979: Thank you for the review! No, Dumbledore is letting Harry make his own choices this go around.

Daddy Solaire: Thank you for the review! I hope to produce a meatier one next chapter! And also thank you for your service! I'm glad I can make your days a little more entertained.

Lamont: You have some interesting theories! There will definitely be a heavy divergence from Canon! Stay tuned!

Lycan01: Thank you for the review!

Kuman: Babbling, as it will be revealed in future chapters, is about 2 years younger than Snape. Thank you for the review!

Dibbley: Thank you for the review! I try hard to make my characters come alive! I said it in a review reply in an earlier chapter, Astoria was based on a close friend of mine who acted in much the same way up until the day she died. I really wanted to bring that energy back to life, I hope I am doing her justice. I unfortunately was not able to load the rest of your review due to a glitch on FFnet but please stay tuned! I hope to make you run that gambit once more!


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: Fly, you fools! Muahahaha. I will be taking excessive liberties with Canon this chapter. You have been warned. Also to those who are like "Why isn't Harry going after the Horcruxes? Or saving Sirius?" well quite frankly, he knows that he can't right now. Sirius only found Harry after he blew up his Aunt Marge. Harry doesn't live there anymore, so short of walking around there in the odd hope that Sirius would be looking there he doesn't have a way to track him down. And the Horcruxes foiled even Dumbledore, and led to the man's death. He doesn't actually know where the Cave is, he was Apparated there. He doesn't have access to the Gringotts Vault or Grimmauld currently. And the Gaunt Ring was what had beaten Dumbledore. Plus to top all of that off Nagini is out there somewhere god knows where. So in my attempt to make this realistic dark vibe, where does all of that fit in? Also someone stated that Astoria wouldn't have been born by the time that Voldemort came back. I fixed her birthsign revealed in Chapter 16, it was supposed to be Libra. She was born in September 1981 in this story, just before Voldemort's fall. The timeline fits.

Patch 1.1: This chapter and the next are rewritten as there was a lot of negativity with the direction I took Pettigrew. If it had been a small portion of my readers I would have ignored it but the reviews were overwhelmingly negative and I'd be crazy not to take that into account. Bear in mind Pettigrew _will _be smarter/ more evil but I will be steering clear of certain triggering events like that in the future. I love you all too much not to do that.

And Away We Go!

Chapter 21: Choices, and What We Have to Live With.

"Why aren't we both getting on?" Katie cried at Harry as Harry forced her to mount the broom.

_Quest Started! Stop the invasion of Hogwarts! Rewards: **** Bonus: Prevent the students from being harmed!_

"Please Katie, go get a Professor. There are other students out here so I'm going to distract them." Harry whirled as the sound of multiple footfalls crashing through underbrush came from the woodline. Cursing himself for lending his Nimbus to Oliver, Harry took a deep breath to center himself.

"Go Katie! Find a Professor! NOW!" Harry pushed the girl and Katie finally took to the skies. "Tell them Fenrir Greyback and his pack are on the grounds!"

Harry looked up to confirm Katie was headed to the castle. Good, at least that was one less person at risk. Harry cast Sonorous and yelled which caused his voice to boom across the grounds, "Hagrid! Werewolves!"

Cancelling the spell Harry took a look at the woodline. He could hear the Werewolves break through the underbrush and saw when they broke out into the open ground. Harry cursed. The map had shown 12, but Fenrir must have had some out of range. Making quick connections in his head as to why the intrusion wasn't stopped by the Dementors… oh no. Harry looked up.

"Fuck! Dobby! Dolly!" Harry bit out. Up above him were a swarm of Dementors, and they were descending. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

"Dobby! Brooms! Dolly, get Dumbledore and let him know there are Werewolves on the grounds and 16 students! GO!" Harry watched them both pop away.

_Pause!_

"FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!" Harry panicked in the peace of the Pause. This was too much. There was a swarm of Dementors above him and at least 20 Werewolves just ahead of him already on the grounds. And he had still heard noises from the woodline, so maybe more on the way. He needed to think. Or just sit forever in this Pause, enjoying his last seconds of life. If he was susceptible to the Dementors Harry knew he would be royally fucked.

Harry took as deep a breath as he could within the Pause and exhaled slowly. "Calm down" he told himself.

Pulling up his Character Sheet Harry stared at it hard. He spoke to himself just to keep his thoughts straight "2 Stat Points. Strength? Constitution? Willpower? Constitution."

Harry placed the Points, and watched his Health go up 50 Points. Not much, but might help him. He had debated Magic just for some extra casting power but the 1 Point increase result for the 2 Points he had didn't seem like it would affect much.

"5 Perk Points. What should I place these in? Let's see. Child of Prophecy: You are blessed with a mission, and Fate has decreed it to come to pass. +10 Luck when facing enemies not related to Voldemort. Well, fuck. Voldemort is sure to be involved in this attack somehow. Harry Hunted: A childhood spent running from Dudley has made you more evasive. +10 to Dodge. Tempting, if I weren't dealing with such a swarm." Harry scrolled down some more, most of the Perks available had nothing to do with his current situation and involved options that boosted Reputation Gains or Social Skills.. Harry eventually decided on Natural Mage: You are in tune with the flows of Magic. +10 to Wandless Magic. +5 to Magicka Regeneration. +5 to Ritual Magic if done at a Nexus of Power.

"Feats next. At least I have some good Points here. 4 of them. Let's see, let's see. Cursed Shield: You have built up a natural defense against most curses. +10 Difficulty Rating for Curses to affect you. Unpredictable results. You're getting added, maybe you'll prevent me from getting Lycanthropy" Harry chuckled at the futility of that thought.

"Next up. Hmm. Merlin, I really don't have many Feats unlocked. Uhhh, Sword Arm: Your dominant arm that you wield a sword with has +2 Strength. Currently Affects Left Arm. Subject to change. No, that won't really help here. If I can help it I'd like them to not even get near me. Oooo, what is this. Magical Pulse: Your magical power is extreme, when you flare your aura you can choose to also push back physical objects and creatures and weak spells. Costs 50 Magicka. That might help actually. Alright, you're added. Never seen a Feat with an active effect like that before. Ohhhh hohoho, Merry Christmas to me! Spellblade: Similar to the Class Specialization Eldritch Knight, this allows you to channel spells through your Sword. Sword must be magical in its own right. Only able to channel spells which you can cast Wandlessly. Alright, one more. Wanker? Are you fucking kidding me Fate? Why is this a Feat?!" Harry desperately wanted to pinch the bridge of his nose. Wanker: Enhances… certain activities and grants +5 Stamina Regeneration. That was it. Fate thinks she's funny.

"I'm going to choose to ignore that. Let's see. Oooo. Sorcerer Extraordinaire: You have Specialized in Learning but this Specializes in Mastering. Spells are Mastered sooner. With Spellblade I'll be able to channel more spells. Best option I have right now since WANKER WON'T HELP ME" Harry yelled that into the pause, hoping that Fate was watching somewhere.

"Alright. 1 Skill Point. Fat lot of good you'll do. Pranking has a Boon though, might as well spend that since I', here. Man. You really have nothing applicable to this situation. I guess I'll go with Get out of Jail: Your Lying, Negotiation, and Diplomacy Skills are at a +10 when avoiding Detention. Ugh. Escaping I really wish you weren't at 23, I feel like you'd be helpful here. Hmmm, Logistics is 24 though… No. Might as well save it" Harry willed away the Sheet and let himself relax a bit.

"Okay, Harry, what's the plan here? Dobby is getting some brooms, and Dolly is getting Dumbledore. Why wasn't the Headmaster alerted to the Werewolf's appearance? Oh, he probably ignored the Ward thinking it was Remus. Speaking of which, why the hell is Fenrir even here? This definitely hadn't happened before. Was it something I did? Can't think like that Harry. You have 16 Students out here. 2 over by the Lake, upper years probably snogging. Merlin, I hope they have their pants up. Then Luna is apparently walking near the woodline, at least she was a ways away from the pack, but these Dementors complicate things. They'll go for her for sure. Draco and his goons. They probably thought they were going to be funny and sneak up on me on my way back to the Castle. And more than a few Firsties, or I just don't recognize their names. They're too spread out for Dobby and Dolly to track them down and get them to the Castle. When Dumbledore gets here, he may be able to Apparate a few but… No, we need to stop the Pack. I can already tell that a few are going to be breaking off. Collateral, likely to convince Fenrir to even go with this brazen attack. Okay. Deep breath. Let's fucking do this. Merlin, don't let anyone die." Harry took a deep breath.

_Unpause!_

***Break***

The Rat had been watching the powerful boy since the train, and thanked his lucky stars that he had thought to modify the Marauder's Map when he spotted the Twins with it in their First Year when he was still Percy's pet. It had been a harrowing 15 seconds when the boy had used the Map after receiving it from the twins but Peter was relieved to see proof that his modification worked as the rat had been a mere 10 feet away.

"Will it work?" Lucius asked Peter, looking down on the scene below from the Astronomy Tower. The Rat had informed Lucius of the plans Harry had that night and had at the man's request used the Shrieking Shack entrance to sneak Lucius into the Castle. Luckily the man was rich enough to afford a couple Invisibility Cloaks.

"You're the one that wanted to kill him, this is your plan. So will it work is a question you need to answer. I'm risking my cover here." Peter stated to Lucius in a disdainful tone. He had always felt that Lucius was too puffed up for someone who couldn't even make it into Voldemort's Death Heralds.

"Do not use that tone with me, rat. Potter has become dangerous to our position. This needs to succeed." Lucius warned Peter, ineffectively if Peter's blank stare was any indication.

They both looked down at Harry's small form across the grounds. Lucius had cursed when Harry had summoned a broom from nowhere but the noble boy had given it to the girl. That would be his downfall. Most adults died to a single Dementor or a single Werewolf. Harry Potter was facing much more than that. Nevermind the boy's call for the half-breed Hagrid, that would just ensure one more victim tonight. Lucius cursed again when 2 Elves appeared ahead of him. He couldn't make out the orders from his height, but they popped away.

"Cunning, Mr. Potter. But Dumbledore is away on business tonight and will take some time to reach you" Lucius praised himself for pulling the Headmaster away from the school long enough for their plan.

"Fenrir seems excited. He must be relishing the idea of adding more children to his pack tonight. It's always been impressive that he was able to bring together such a large group of monsters" Peter commented idly, as the first Werewolves broke from the treeline.

***Break***

"To the Courtyard! RUN! Werewolves on the grounds! Run!" Harry screamed as he sprinted. The growl from above made him take aim over his shoulder and Banish the Werewolf that had leaped at him. The Werewolf shot into the air like a rocket. He heard the thud as it landed but focused on running instead. Something like that wouldn't stop it for long. A Pulse of his magic stopped 2 more from scratching him and Harry thanked his luck that such a feat had been available.

"Dobby! I don't care if you don't have them all! I need you!" Harry yelled into the air, and Dobby appeared just ahead holding 5 Brooms. Harry jumped and willed 4 into his Hotbar before mounting the other in a smooth motion.

"Luna! By the trees! Get her inside!" Harry yelled at the elf and pointed in the direction his Map had indicated. Harry rolled the broom to dodge a swipe from another Werewolf. The pop notified him that the Elf had gone to follow his orders. Harry kept low, the Dementors above complicated any high flying. But the speed of his Nimbus definitely helped and he was able to break ahead of the pack. He glanced over his shoulder and cursed. There must be 50 or so.

Casting Sonorous once more, Harry yelled out instructions. He just hoped they would listen. "Hagrid! Bar your door! There's too many! I've got them busy! Find a way to contact the Professors inside! Draco! Run to the Courtyard! First Years gather up!"

***Break***

Lucius paled when he heard his son's name. What… why… Why was his son outside!

"Call off the attack," Lucius whispered. When Peter didn't respond Lucius looked at him with a hint of desperation and yelled, "Call off the attack!"

"We both know that's not possible. We brought Fenrir here but he will leave when he chooses and not a second before." Peter reminded the man coolly, not even flinching when the man grabbed his collar. "I'd advise you to figure out a way to get your boy, if you want to have an heir by the time the night is done."

Lucius gave a sneering growl and dropped him. His motion to pull his mask down and Unshrink a broom from his pocket made Lucius miss the smile Peter gave as he brushed imaginary dust from his clothes. "Better hurry, Lucius. I see that your boy isn't that fast."

Lucius jumped from the edge of the tower, and Peter chuckled. The bratty kid might not survive. Boohoo. Kids who listen to mysterious notes deserve to die. Peter sat on the edge of the tower and swung his feet as he watched the action unfold below. Luckily the Dementors were distracted by the intense fright of the students below, or he wouldn't be having so much fun.

"Are you down there as well, Sirius?" Peter asked no one.

***Break***

"Expecto Patronum!" Harry's Basilisk came to bear and struck out at the Swarm above him, knocking a few back and sending them away for a moment. The wolves below howled up at him and he had to toe a fine line to try and keep both groups under control. The Basilisk disappeared in favor of a pair of Defodios fired at a Werewolf that had broken from the pack. The Werewolf howled in pain as his leg gave out and he tumbled, twin holes through his thigh and knee. The Werewolf would heal though, they always did.

Harry shot off toward a cluster of students, First Years judging by the heights. They were huddled together in fright, watching the bloodthirsty group of Werewolves howling into the night. Harry saw one Werewolf who seemed drawn in by the veritable feast the children would provide. Harry timed a Bludgeoning Hex as he flew over and with a nod of satisfaction sent the Werewolf's head slamming into the ground mid-run. Harry dismounted in the air after slowing, and landed with a tumble and roll to appear in front of the students facing the mob. The Dementors had trouble adjusting to his change of direction and were slow to follow. The wolves had no such issues.

"Stay behind me! Dolly!" Harry fired spells with abandon into the mob of Werewolves, spells flying forth with incredible speed and accuracy. It slowed them just long enough for Harry to hear a pop of arrival and a few shouts of surprise from the cluster of students behind him.

_Charms Skill has increased! It is now 59!_

_Defensive Spells Skill has increased! It is now 34!_

_Silent Casting Skill has increased! It is now 9!_

_Silent Casting Skill has increased! It is now 10!_

"Dumbledore is on his way, Master Harry! He was at the Ministry" Dolly called out to him and Harry nodded but didn't turn around. He wondered why Dumbledore hadn't come back with her but put the thought from his mind. A hot wave of Incendio ignited the grass ahead and gave him just enough of a reprieve to talk.

"Can you take the students inside?" Harry asked and resumed casting spells while he waited for a response. He didn't see Dolly look around at the shivering and whimpering students surrounding her, a fierce look of determination on her face as her maternal side flared up inside of her. House Elves struggled to Side Along multiple targets through wards and even more so in such a short time frame. But Dolly would do it. Dolly had to do it.

_Silent Casting Skill has increased! It is now 11!_

"3 trips" Dolly said with determination.

"Hufflepuffs! Get Sprout and get the Elves from the Kitchens! Yellow uniforms first Dolly!" Harry ordered and began firing spells once more when the Wolves passed his line of fire. The group was closing in fast. 3 trips would take too long, and Harry almost wanted to order her not to do it knowing what it would cost her. His Elf's determined voice prevented him from doing anything to stop her. Dolly popped away with 3 students out of the 7 gathered. Harry debated for a moment giving them brooms but they hadn't even had their first Flying Class yet, a thought that made him roar in anger at the Wolves ahead. The Sword of Gryffindor appeared in his hand and he started slowly stepping back as he cast, the group behind him getting the idea and stepping with him. Another 2 pops let him know that more of the students had left. A quick glance showed him a Ravenclaw and a Gryffindor.

A Werewolf dodged Harry's spell that he misfired when he glanced back, and the furry beast jumped. Harry cursed and swung the Sword with a spell in mind.

_Magicka too low! Bombarda Spell failed!_

Harry cursed silently. He was basically out of Magicka. As if in slow motion Harry followed through with the swing though, and grimaced when the Werewolf's weight came across. Harry roared and rotated his body hard, and with a yip of pain that was cut off the Werewolf's head came off the shoulders. The world seemed to resume its normal speed and the students behind him cried in fright at the almost shower of blood as the Werewolf Harry had just beheaded tumbled past them. Harry wanted to apologize for the gruesome scene but the alternative was much worse.

The group behind the Werewolf was almost upon them when a pop behind Harry let him know that Dolly had returned. Harry rolled to the side and mounted his broom once more. He met the young Gryffindor's awestruck eyes as the boy was whisked away by Dolly.

Flying once more, Harry set off. 10 out of 16 saved. A cry of fright from the waterline sent Harry careening through the pack of wolves that were between him and the water. He dodged left and right, but hissed when a claw caught his cheek. Harry waited until he broke through the group to check his Health and Notifications.

390 out of 400.

_Cursed Claw mitigated! No permanent scarring!_

Well he probably had Cursed Shield to thank for that, but Harry doubted that it would work against a bite. Harry shot off towards the water where it seemed like a pair of upper years were desperately trying to run from a group of 5 Dementors.

"Expecto Patronum!" Harry cried out. His Basilisk almost made it to the group when it flickered out.

_Magicka too low! Spell dropped!_

"Fuck." Harry said, and he went with Plan Stupid. Willing away his broom Harry fell through the air. The Sword of Gryffindor was swung with both hands and a defiant roar as Harry spun in the air. There was a faint hiss as the enchanted blade raked across the chests of the 5 Dementors as Harry passed them. They screeched at him in their unearthly wail, and Harry couldn't hear anything except ringing after a moment. The water was getting close though so Harry once more brought his Nimbus to bear and mounted it. The pair of upper years, Harry noticed, had used the opportunity and were hiding near a large rock. He almost wondered why they weren't running but then noticed the pack of Wolves desperate to catch up to him. Harry caught a flash of silver as he looked towards the castle, and was confused. Who was that?

***Break***

Lucius was not a skilled flyer. He knew how to, as any educated Wizard would of course, but he rarely put himself on a broom. But the danger to his precious Draco ignited a courage and protectiveness that Lucius rarely displayed. So with shaking hands the blonde had mounted his broom after his stomach wrenching dive from the Astronomy Tower. He didn't know where his boy was, but Lucius would find him. He had to find him.

"Draco!" Lucius called out. His masked face whirled around, searching desperately. Harry seemed to be more formidable than Lucius had even realized, as the boy impressively used a broom he had seemingly procured once more from nowhere and like a reckless shepherd kept the Werewolves into a semi-organized pack below him.

"Draco!" Lucius cried out once more as he sped across the grounds. Lucius's mind was well protected, service to Lord Voldemort demanded such skill, but as he neared the pack of Dementors he had trouble keeping his head straight.

"Draco!" Tears fell from behind the silver Death Eater mask, dark memories from Lucius's past coming to mind as he still neared the mob of Dementors. An impressively bright ethereal snake struck from Harry's wand and Lucius felt a moment of clarity as even from this distance he could feel the energy from the Patronus. This let him change directions, thinking that surely his boy had headed for the Courtyard as Potter had yelled out. He searched around desperately, trying to catch a glimpse of a blonde somewhere. There! Lucius dived.

***Break***

Harry settled onto the rock, and glared defiantly at the approaching groups. "Can you fly?"

"W-w-what?" Asked the girl below him, the boy was curled up crying. Both were shivering.

"Can you fly?" Harry asked again. Then cursed.

"Fuck it. Dobby!" Dobby appeared as he always did when Harry called. The male House Elf was more rested and had only Side-Alonged one person Harry rationalized to himself.

"Take these two to the Infirmary." Dobby popped away with the pair. Harry sighed. The brooms had been a decent idea, but with the Dementors he doubted anyone besides himself would be able to manage flying around in this mess.

A Sonorous cast with his sparse Magicka. "Come on you mangy mutts! I'm down here! Tasty tasty child! Come and get it!"

The Werewolf pack heard him and some broke off, but Harry again caught a flash of silver in the distance near the Courtyard, his Seeker eyes keen to such metallic flashes. The rest of the Werewolf pack and a large group of the Dementors were headed over there as well. Harry took a leap from the rock and sped off through the air once more. He watched his Magicka closely, and tried in vain to get it to recharge faster. He was kicking himself for not further exploring the idea of Magicka Potions and vowed to get into the Forest soon and stock up on as many of the magical plants used in that recipe as the Forest and Game would let him have.

Harry rocketed through the air and dodged a swipe from the largest Werewolf he had ever seen. Fenrir. Harry looked back as he passed, and glared at the beast of a man. "Fuck yourself, Greyback!"

Like a streak, Harry zipped through the air. He spurred his Nimbus on faster, and felt it give a shake beneath him. Rebellious brat, Harry thought and willed it back into his Inventory in favor of another. This one had yet to be put through the strain yet and accepted the speed readily. He got closer, and felt his stomach drop as he observed the scene ahead. A Death Eater. Standing defiantly in front of the cluster of Draco, Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy. The Death Eater was firing spells at the Werewolves while trying to push the prone kids behind him, a limp apparent in his halting backsteps. A broken broom lay on the ground ahead, broken somehow.

***Break***

There! Lucius dived. The speed was more than he was used to, and Lucius cursed when he saw his boy, his Draco, cowering in fright against an oncoming Werewolf. Lucius roared defiance and guided the broom into the side of the Werewolf, spellcasting from the back of a speeding broom required more skill than Lucius trusted himself with at the moment. The broom shattered, and the impact sent Lucius and the Werewolf tumbling. Lucius protected his face as he rolled through the wet grass, but felt a crack as his shin impacted a rock. Letting loose a cry of pain as the tumble slowed but still aggravated the now broken leg Lucius sent a Descendo at the Werewolf that had recovered well and was currently diving at him. Shooting spells from a broom, no. Shooting them from the ground? Lucius had that skill in spades.

The Werewolf slammed into the ground with a crunch, the spell bringing him down with startling speed. A Banish onto the crumpled form sent it flying and Lucius struggled to his feet. He limped towards the students who screamed at his mask in fright.

"Draco!" Lucius cried out, the words strained by the pain of his leg.

"Father?" Draco replied in a tearful whisper, confusion appearing on his face, "What are you doing here?"

"Nevermind that. Hush boy! Get behind me!" Lucius stepped in front of the group, ignoring the blood on his son's robes. He noted with detachment from the current situation that Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle all were crying hysterically. Pathetic. Draco collapsed as the Dementors got closer. Lucius faced the oncoming horde, and stood tall. A wide Sectumsempra halted the group for but a moment, and even took a leg or two.

***Break***

Harry ignored the mask. Whoever this was, they were protecting the students. He had his suspicion, due to just who was being protected, but Harry ignored that as well. Enemy of my enemy and all that, for now at least. Harry halted the broom and dismounted on top of one of the pillars in the Courtyard. Just because the Death Eater was protecting students didn't mean Harry was going to land next to them. He observed the scene. The Dementors were closing in fast. The Werewolves were hungry. Harry took but a moment to pull out the Marauder's map. A pause turned a quick scan into a thorough one showing Draco, Pansy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Lucius Malfoy just under him. That answered that. A quick scan of the grounds revealed no other students on the grounds on this side of the Castle. Hagrid was in his hut, hopefully with a loaded crossbow aimed at the door. Thank you Hagrid for trusting in me, Harry thought sincerely. He knew it must be killing the kind hearted man to not be out here, but Harry also knew that this number of Werewolves would definitely overwhelm Hagrid.

_Unpause!_

Harry willed the Map away, and glanced at his Magicka. 340 out of 625. Not terrible, but not great. Harry drew his bow and willed 2 Silver Bars from his Inventory into his hands. He Transfigured the bars into 30 arrowheads and let them rest at his feet on the pillar. His quiver appeared and Harry Wandlessly switched the arrow tips out before loading them into a Quiver that he equipped with a thought. Harry nocked an arrow and took aim.

The arrow whistled through the air and speared a running Werewolf in the chest. The silver caused the Werewolf to scrabble desperately at the wound and it collapsed in agony. 3 more arrows found their marks.

_Archery Skill has increased! It is now 32!_

The Wolves were too close now, and Harry grabbed the arrows remaining and dropped them over the edge of the pillar before jumping down. A quick Summon of his broom prevented injury, and he also sent the Quiver and Bow away, and he alighted upon the ground with a whisper next to Lucius.

"Take it." Harry dropped the broom next to Lucius. The man was hardly a trustworthy individual, but Harry knew that without him that the Slytherins behind him would have likely died already. He owed him just a small favor, and Harry's pride refused to let him be indebted even in a roundabout way to the man. The arrows stabbed into the ground and Harry used Waddiwasi to fire one from the ground and into the oncoming horde. "Take the broom!"

"I'm not leaving." Lucius's voice was firm but pained. "What are you doing here, Potter"

"Same as you, I suspect. Waddiwasi! Preventing harm. Waddiwasi! I'm surprised you Waddiwasi haven't stabbed me Waddiwasi in the back yet. Waddiwasi!" Harry cast in between his words, and the spell was reliable both in its force and accuracy. To think a simple pranking charm typically used for wads of gum would be so useful here. The Castle door behind them boomed open, and Harry glanced at the noise. Relief flooded him as Hogwarts House Elves stepped out. Sprout, McGonagall, Snape, and Flitwick all stepped out as well leading Babbling, Burbage, Vector, and the rest of the Professors.

"Last chance, Malfoy," Harry said, and kicked the broom closer subtly. Lucius glanced at the Professors and cursed. He bent to pick the broom up and Harry stunned the man, not ignoring the chance to capture a Death Eater now that reinforcements were here

_Lying Skill has increased! It is now 16!_

Harry intoned, "Expecto Patronum!"

This time he kept the spell up long enough to fully bring forth the snake. It measured 30 feet long with about a foot diameter. With it fully separated from his wand the Snake slithered through the air into the Horde of Dementors.

Harry, alone now, held off the horde of Werewolves just long enough for the Hogwarts House Elves to join the fray. Patronus spells zoomed over their heads from the Professors, and along with Harry's Basilisk sent the mass of Dementors away. The Elves Apparated away, using their agile and small forms to simply slap the Wolves and teleport them about 50 feet into the air and over the grounds and then Apparating away as they fell. It was a clever tactic, Harry had to admit, able to hear the crunch of bone as the Werewolves literally rained down in the distance.

Harry sighed in relief as no Werewolves were nearby any longer, their numbers dwarfed by the horde of Elves. Some of them were unmoving ahead of him, arrows sticking from their still forms. Harry collapsed onto his butt, and stared up at the sky. Despite the trouble it had brought that night, he couldn't deny that the moon was very beautiful. He brought his attention back down to the grounds where the Wolves responded to a howl from Fenrir and fled into the woodline. Harry glared at the immense Werewolf who stopped to look up at him. Greyback may be a monster, but his mastery over his Wolf side was unquestioned as Harry could see an almost human intelligence staring at him through the dark eyes.

_Quest Completed! Stop the invasion of Hogwarts! Bonus failed! Draco Malfoy bitten! Rewards: 16,000 Exp! 50 Skill Points. Silver Enchantment applied to the Sword of Gryffindor. 20 Respecialize Points Unlocked!_

_Ding! Level Up! You are now level 11! 22 Skill Points awarded! 23 Skill Points unused._

Silver Enchantment, huh? Harry glanced at his Sword as he Summoned it. That would have come in handy before but at least now he had it in case something like this ever happened again. And a Level Up, though a lackluster one.

"Mr. Potter! Are you alright?" Came the call of McGonagall as the woman bustled forth at the sight of one of her Lions sitting in front of 4 collapsed students and a stunned Death Eater.

Harry glanced back at his Head of House and stood up, willing away the Sword and his Wand in favor of brushing off his cold butt. The ground had been wet. "I'm alright Professor. These 4 are the last ones out here."

McGonagall rushed forth at his words, as did Snape. "What happened?"

"Werewolves came from the woodline. Likely let in by this Death Eater. I was with Katie Bell at the time and sent her ahead with my Firebolt. I had noticed a few other students nearby and like a stupid crazy person went to go help." Harry said nonchalantly. The excitement had dulled his mood as the adrenaline faded from him. He wasn't tired of course and yet he was at the same time.

"And you are sure that this is all of them? Mipsy! Search the grounds." McGonagall ordered her favorite Elf into action. The Elf popped away with a few others. Harry silently appraised his Head of House, having expected more pushback for him even being out here fighting.

Harry knew they wouldn't find anyone, but without revealing the Marauder's Map he couldn't tell Minerva that. Snape sneered at the boy half-heartedly and checked on Draco. A few Potion vials appeared in the man's hand from his pockets, and Harry glanced at them just long enough to Identify them as Calming Draughts with his Mage Sight.

"The Dementors had gotten pretty close, they'll likely need Pomfrey" was all Harry said to the Potions Master.

Snape nodded curtly, and used the Hover Charm with Flitwick, Burbage, and Vector to lead the unconscious forms inside. It appeared worry for his Snakes prevented even the great Severus Snape from ignoring Harry's words.

"What about you, Mr. Potter?" McGonagall asked. She was organizing Hooch, Sinistra, Sprout to the task of floating the corpses of the Werewolves into a small mound in the center of the grounds.

"I'm largely unaffected, Professor. Not sure why. My Patronus helped a lot though." Harry lied easily, and waved away Babbling who had lifted his arm to check for wounds.

"Are you injured?" Babbling said.

"No. Sheer dumb luck seems to be my forte, eh Professor?" Harry joked to McGonagall who glared at him in return.

"This is no time for jokes, Mr. Potter" Came a voice from behind them. Harry glanced over and saw Albus standing in the doorway of his school. The man walked with strong strides towards them. With his foot, Albus lifted Lucius's mask just enough for him alone to see the face and bound the man tightly.

"Hey-o, Albus," Harry ignored the man's words and gave a jaunty wave. "I suppose you'll want to see me in your office?"

"That might be for the best, Mr. Potter. Minnie, I trust you'll be able to manage things out here." Dumbledore looked at the grounds. Smoke came from a wide line in the distance, and there were gouges taken from the earth in various spots. The man raised his wand high and with a smooth wave returned the grounds to their former glory. The Headmaster eyed the pile of corpses of the Werewolves Harry had taken out, and glanced at the boy. Harry didn't fight Albus as the man grabbed his arm tightly and they Apparated away with a pop, Lucius in tow.

***Break***

"Please have a seat, Mr. Potter," Albus said as he settled into the chair behind his desk and held his head for a moment.

"Certainly." Harry said, and grabbed a Lemon Drop before he settled into the comfy armchair that Dumbledore had conjured upon their arrival. He looked around the room in interest, as he always did when he was in the Headmaster's office.

"What happened tonight Mr. Potter? All of it." Dumbledore said and adjusted his glasses as he sat back up.

"Well… I was taking a walk with Katie Bell after dinner. We had walked around the lake a bit, and were talking. We had picked a comfy spot near a boulder, and settled down for just a few minutes before Katie drew my attention to some eyes watching us from the woodline. I tried to be nonchalant and lead us both back to the Castle when the first wolf howl sounded. I suppose you'll want to see this." Harry pulled out the Map and stood up. Albus Harry could trust with a measure of discretion about the Map.

"I had thought that maybe the eyes were Sirius Black. I solemnly swear that I am up to no good. This Map, made by my father, shows the names of people throughout the Castle. When I looked at it I saw the name Fenrir Greyback as well as a few others. I of course knew this name to be synonymous with extreme danger, and checked the grounds. There I saw a couple upper years, they're in the infirmary, as well as 9 First Years. I also saw Luna Lovegood, Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, and Pansy Parkinson. 16 in total not including myself or Katie." Harry handed the Map to Albus so he could see its function.

"This is exemplary work. Homonculous Charm by the look of it though detailed with an intimate knowledge of the school." Albus commented on the Map in wonder, forgetting for just a moment that he was interrogating Harry.

"Yeah, it was definitely a life saver tonight. So I sent Katie ahead with my Firebolt to alert the Professors. I knew that the Werewolves were likely after me, so I chose to stay behind. If I had fled it would have put the other students at risk." Harry defended his reasoning for his actions.

Albus nodded but also wanted to speak for just a moment, "I understand your desire to protect the Students, Harry. I just wish it hadn't come at the cost of so many lives tonight."

Harry flinched at the reminder of the Werewolves who he had killed. They had been monsters in that moment, but in all likelihood were forced into their actions by the depravity and oppressive leadership of Fenrir Greyback. "I know… I… I tried not to use lethal force, but there were around 50. Without matching that force with some of my own I likely wouldn't have been able to save the students. Especially towards the end, any of them that I Banished or pushed back simply got back up a moment later as though nothing had happened."

Albus stared at the boy intensely. He could understand the reasoning and saw for himself the regret on Harry's face and in his words. He nodded fondly, "I can't fault your actions, Harry. Too many lives hung in the balance. You went with the best option available, I'm sure. Please, continue though."

Harry sighed and took a deep breath, "After Katie took off, I ran towards the First Years. They were top priority as least likely to be able to defend themselves for even a moment they… they're just kids. I called for Dobby, my House Elf, to bring me some brooms from home so that I could go faster when I noticed the Dementors coming onto the grounds from above. Dolly, well, I'm sure you met her tonight."

Albus nodded, and his heart twinged heavily at Harry pointing out how close some First Years had come to death tonight, "Exemplary thinking, enlisting the help of House Elves. Yes, Dolly found me on the way to the Ministry. I would have come back with her but I knew that the Dementors would also jump at the opportunity provided by an attack on the school. You'll be relieved to know that they are being removed from the grounds and border as we speak. The risk was too great, tonight showed that, and I was able to convince Cornelius to call them off."

"I was wondering why you didn't come back with her. I'm glad that it was for a good reason," Harry nodded, though he was still frustrated that he had had to fight so hard in lieu of Dumbledore's absence.

"My apologies Harry, I know that it must have been hard to count on my aid but it was needed elsewhere. I had hoped to prevent the Dementors from coming onto the grounds at all, but I'm sorry that I was not fast enough" Albus was sincere in his words, Harry could tell.

Harry waved away the apology, "I understand. They wasted no time coming onto the grounds with the Werewolves, and that's hardly your fault. It's mostly mine, in my haste I neglected to include the Dementors in Dolly's message."

Albus sighed heavily, "Do not take the blame of what happened tonight onto your shoulders Harry. As Headmaster I should have responded quicker. I considered the Dementors the greater threats tonight, underestimating Fenrir once again and his ability to rally the Werewolf population as an Alpha."

Harry accepted the words. "I know I shouldn't I just… If I had been one second slower… No, I can't think like that. I've come far enough that I wasn't one second slower. With Dobby bringing me my brooms I was able to make it to the First Years. I ordered Dobby to get Luna Lovegood who was near the woodline inside. I called Dolly and had her Apparate the 9 students behind me inside. It took 3 trips Professor… Dolly... Dolly must be in so much pain…"

Harry gripped his hair in frustration. Side-Along Apparation for an Elf taxed them, especially through wards they were not keyed into, in a physical manner. And for Dolly to do it 3 times with so many students she must have been in agony but hadn't once let out a sound. Tears tickled his eyes. Albus let the boy have his moment, tears tickling his own eyes at the bravery of Harry's Elves and the boy's heartfelt worry about that Elf.

Harry took a shuddering breath once more to collect himself, "They are all safe though, and I was able to hold the Werewolves off long enough for her to complete the trips. With that done I headed to the 2 upper years, since they were furthest from the Castle. Some Dementors were upon them and I had Dobby bring them up to the Castle when they couldn't fly. He's a bit stronger as my Head Elf but I'm sure he's hurt as well… But I couldn't think about that because I saw that Draco Malfoy and his friends were unable to make it to the Castle. A Death Eater was there, likely the instigator in all of this, protecting them. It's Lucius Malfoy, sir, I'm sure you're already aware of that."

"Yes, though I am surprised to hear that he was protecting the students. Likely due to young Draco's presence" Albus stared at the unconscious man they both had left on the floor.

"He was. I knew I couldn't take the man in a duel, and he did perform ably. I tricked him though by pretending to lend him my broom to escape when the Professors showed up. Stunner to the back when he went to pick it up." Harry admitted his deception.

"Cunning trick, Mr. Potter. And a good capture. Are you willing to testify as to his presence? The mask and a Priori Incantato will likely suffice but your word could bring it the rest of the way home." Albus asked the boy.

"He tried to kill me, Professor. And almost got a number of lives caught up in the attempt. I am sure that if Heir Malfoy had not been present then he would not have interfered at all." Harry said this with vehemence and had to resist the urge to kick the bound man next to them.

"True. Thank you." Albus said and Harry nodded in response, eyes full of justice. "Anything else?"

"Actually, Sir. Draco Malfoy was bitten. I noticed the blood on his robes and checked myself. One of them must have gotten a graze in but the wound was superficial. Do you need me to stay for any statements when you bring the Aurors in?" Harry asked.

"I think that would be most helpful, Mr. Potter. And let me just say that if you keep this up the school will likely need to put together a new trophy room for your plaques of Special Services. You did a lot of good tonight, Harry." Albus had stood up when he had started speaking, and was smiling kindly when he placed a warm hand on Harry's shoulder as he walked to the fireplace. Harry grinned up at the grandfatherly figure.

***Break***

Amelia Bones stepped through the green flames and into the Headmaster's Office. "Hello, Albus. I have Proudfoot and Shacklebolt coming through just behind."

Albus shook the woman's firm hand, and let her pass fully into the room. "Of course, Amelia. Thank you for your fast response."

"It's not every day we get a report of an assault of any level on Hogwarts. Least of all after it's already over. We'd been getting reports from the school for the past 15 minutes as students poked their heads into our fireplaces, you're lucky you got through." Amelia stopped in surprise when she noticed Harry stand up from his armchair that had been blocking him from view.

"Hello, Madam Bones. Lord Harry Potter." Harry shook the woman's hand, knowing her not to be the bow and knuckle kiss type, and Amelia was surprised at the firmness and calluses she felt.

The whoosh of arrival interrupted them as Kingsley and John came through the Floo. Amelia's demeanor shifted into command mode and her tone was authoritative and her orders concise. "Shack! Secure this Death Eater. Proudfoot, I want you to head to the Infirmary. Get statements."

Both men nodded and Proudfoot headed out of the Office. Kingsley walked over to Malfoy with long strides and checked Lucius's pockets and took his wand as well as any jewelry. He took the mask off to check the mouth and then started. "It's Lucius Malfoy, ma'am!"

"I don't give a rat's ass if it's Merlin himself! Finish securing him! Albus, why do you have a student here?" Amelia asked Albus as the Headmaster walked away from the fire where he had been standing.

"Young Harry here is the reason that the Infirmary is being used to treat Dementor exposure and only 1 Werewolf bite" Albus responded with a small smile of pride.

Amelia gaped. She had been told that there were Werewolves on the grounds but only one bite? She turned to observe the boy. He was tall for his age, and built well. He also had an air of power and confidence well beyond his years. He would make a fine Auror she thought to herself.

"I'm impressed, Lord Potter. I'd heard of your skills through the grapevine but didn't put much stock in them. My apologies" Amelia wasn't one for idle gossip. She trusted cold hard facts, and the fact was that she had thought that St. Mungo's would be busy tonight.

"None taken. Nice to know some people don't buy into everything they hear." Harry said with a grin. He had always liked Amelia Bones but never really got a chance to interact with her before. He had grieved the loss of a good ally in 6th year when she had been killed, presumably by Voldemort himself, as the woman had a strong moral code and iron will.

"He's secure, ma'am" Shacklebolt's voice came across the room easily, as it had the quality to carry itself.

"Good. Let's wake him up. Enervate!" Amelia had her wand in hand faster than even Harry could see, and the spell impacted Lucius who groaned at being woken up.

"What is this? Let me go!" Lucius raged against his bindings, he was still on his back and didn't notice the others present at first. His eyes met Harry's in a cold rage as the boy walked by. The boy had tricked him and he had fallen for it easily.

"You tricked me!" Lucius bit out at the boy. He was caught because of it and Lucius knew no amount of bribes was going to be saving him this time. And no Dark Lord to feign Imperius under.

"You tried to kill me." Harry said in a bored tone and through another Lemon Drop that he had taken from Albus's desk. "You're lucky I only stunned you"

Amelia's respect of the boy rose a bit at his easy threat. "Lord Malfoy. You're under arrest for terroristic acts, attempted murder, and a list of other charges I don't feel like getting into right now. Do you have anything you want to say?"

"Eat shit, Bl-" The man choked on his words when Harry idly tossed a lemon drop into his open mouth.

Harry let out a surprised chuckle, "Sorry! Sorry, I really didn't think that would go in. I'll behave myself"

Albus chuckled as well but subtly moved his Lemon Drop supply away from the boy as he settled into his seat. Amelia eyed Harry with a stern eye making it clear she wouldn't be having anymore shenanigans. She levitated the piece of candy from the man's mouth and restored his breath.

"Let's try that again. Lord Malfoy, do you have anything to say?" Amelia asked firmly.

"No." Lucius said. Harry saw what the man was planning though as his cheeks moved. Harry spelled his mouth open with a wave of his hand.

"I've waited a long time to see you bite your tongue, Malfoy. Never thought I'd be stopping you today." Harry said calmly.

"Thank you for that, Lord Potter. Let's get him up Shack. Albus?" At her tone Albus conjured a wooden chair with a silent wave of his wand. Kingsley hefted the man up and put him in the chair. Amelia walked up and pulled out a vial of Veritaserum.

"Are you sure you want a student to be here for this, Amelia?" Dumbledore asked the woman when he saw the vial.

"You're the one who had him here. And he just stopped Lord Malfoy from biting his tongue. It wouldn't have stopped us interrogating as we could have just spelled it back on, but it's clear that Lord Potter wants to be here in a Lord capacity so I'll make an exception." Amelia eyed the bound blonde coldly and dropped 3 drops onto the man's tongue.

"Article 5.2 of Search and Seizure in the Case of Lords. If the apprehended attempts to bite their tongue off to avoid questioning, the use of Veritaserum is allowed to prevent further attempts before Trial. You should know this, Lord Malfoy." Amelia said to the man, calmly. Malfoy gave no indication he had heard her as his eyes glazed over. Amelia nodded to Harry who dropped his spell. A good Auror indeed. Wandless magic at his age.

"What is your name?" Amelia began.

"Lucius Abraxas Malfoy." Lucius stated with no emotion.

"How did you make it onto the grounds?" Amelia asked the bound blonde.

Lucius appeared to be trying to fight the Veritaserum and ground out, "Shrieking. Shack. Tunnel. Under. Whomping. Willow."

Harry nodded to himself. That'd be how he would get in and out of the school. Remus took his potion in his quarters these days, he knew, otherwise Lucius might have found more than he bargained for within the decrepit building.

Amelia glanced at Albus, who nodded. "Interesting. Did you receive inside help?"

"Yes," Lucius said though he appeared to be struggling harder.

"Who helped you?" Amelia asked.

"W-w-wormtail" Lucius struggled in vain to fight the liquid, and Harry inhaled sharply at the name.

"That mean something to you, Lord Potter?" Amelia asked the young Lord while she dropped one more drop of Veritaserum onto Lucius's tongue.

Harry panicked for a moment at the question. But then remembered the Marauder's Map, which he had just shown to Albus. "Yes, actually. It's just not a name I ever expected to come out of Lord Malfoy's mouth. Umm… Well I'll just come out and say it, that name is a nickname for one of my father's school friends. Peter Pettigrew."

It was Amelia's turn to gasp, "Peter Pettigrew is dead."

"You don't have to tell me that, but you can ask him" Harry pointed at Lucius.

"Is Wormtail an alias for Peter Pettigrew?" Amelia asked and Lucius responded "Yes."

"Is the Wormtail that helped you onto the grounds Peter Pettigrew?" Amelia asked urgently.

"Y-yes." Lucius tried to stop himself. Amelia reeled back. A million scenarios went through her head.

"Lord Potter I'm going to need every bit of information you know about Wormtail." Madam Bones conjured a high-backed chair of her own and sat down after stunning Lucius once more. Harry began with the limited information that he knew and that wouldn't bring up too many questions about his knowledge of someone he had never technically met.

***Break***

"Animagi. Interesting. Shack. I want a tight border around the school but be discreet. We also need to check in with Hogsmeade to ensure no attack was made there." Kingsley nodded and headed for the Fireplace.

Harry eyed his pocket for just a moment in indecision, and then once more brought out the Map. "This might help, Madam Bones. I solemnly swear that I am up to no good. This is the Marauder's Map, you can see the name Wormtail here at the top, it was made by my father and his friends. It shows everyone on the grounds and in the Castle."

Harry placed the map, fully unfurled, on a table between them that he conjured with a silent wave of his wand. Albus stood up and walked over to sit with them as he couldn't see from his desk. Once more, Harry's magical prowess impressed Amelia Bones.

"An impressive conjuration." she commented idly then checked out the map.

They were silent for a moment, all of them looking intensely for the name Peter Pettigrew yet nowhere they looked could they find the name. It made Harry nervous. But they pressed on and Albus sent a few Professors to the village as well to assist with going door to door and checking on the citizens there.

The name was nowhere to be found, meaning that either Pettigrew was off the grounds or had used inside knowledge to hide from the Map, Harry thought to himself. It also appeared that more than a few students were out past curfew but Albus ignored that from his position staring at the Map as well.

"He's not here." Harry said after a moment longer, and the 2 adults nodded in agreement.

"A pity." Albus said sincerely, his normally kind blue eyes flaring in anger at another past student revealing a dark and dangerous side.

"Keep an eye out for him and call me as soon as he shows up" Amelia stated firmly. She wanted to get to the bottom of this lest Pettigrew get away with more than he already had. The knowledge that the presumed dead Pettigrew was in fact alive put a lot of things into place for her, she had always thought that Sirius's betrayal was a little fishy, and she knew that she had a lot of arguing with Fudge in her future. Amelia locked eyes with both Dumbledore and Harry in turn, until they nodded their understanding. She nodded in return.

"I will be checking on Proudfoot and Shack. I'll be sending a memo with court details before the end of the night Albus." Amelia grimaced slightly, another sleepless night.

"Thank you. And I think that I saw young Susan near the Kitchens." Albus commented idly, gesturing at the Map that Harry was rolling up and storing once more. Amelia smiled slightly at the small hint to see her niece, a visitation that would likely give her the energy and peace of mind to get through the night ahead.

***Break***

The Common Room exploded into noise as soon as Harry stepped inside. It was about an hour after curfew and most of the students had been concerned when Harry had not come back after the battle. But seeing the tall redhead step through the entrance, with only a scratch on his cheek, prompted the students into cheering.

"Harry!" Katie yelled from her place on the couch and ran over to give him a tight hug. Her eyes had tear stains, as did more than a few others Harry noted.

"Katie, I'm alright but if you keep squeezing me like that I might not be" Harry struggled out. The 4th year had quite the grip.

"Shut up." Katie said to him in a low tone. Harry chuckled and returned the hug. Fred and George stepped up and clapped him on the back, carting a few cases of chilled butterbeer from their room. Angelina and Alicia joined into the hug and Harry almost choked from the force if the idea of being surrounded by cute girls didn't bolster him.

"Guys, what is happening right now?" Harry addressed the room. There were smiling faces everywhere, and the butterbeers were passed out.

"You did another stupid heroic thing, Harry" Hermione said to Harry with a smile, she rescued Harry from his dogpile and motioned to a seat. "Most of the school is talking about it. They swarmed the upper walkways to watch when the first howls were heard in the hallways. Pretty much the whole school saw or has heard about what you did."

"What?" Harry asked in disbelief. The whole school?

"Single handedly thwarting a Werewolf attack on the first day of school, Harry? People were bound to see it" Even Astoria chimed in.

Bollocks. Harry grimaced, he hadn't wanted people to see that. Didn't even occur to him that of course the school had heard the series of howls from Fenrir's pack. He had killed people and the Gryffindors wanted to drink in his honor. The mere thought made him sick.

"No. We're not celebrating this." Harry said firmly, and his voice cut through the building excitement with an efficiency that would have made McGonagall quite impressed. "I did what I had to do. Nothing more. I'm going to bed."

***Break***

"Lord Potter is certainly a lot more than he appears" Amelia stated later that night, having returned to the office to collect Lucius who had remained incapacitated while Albus had filed the appropriate paperwork to streamline the man's impending trial. They would need to rush the date to avoid the press or any ulterior plans involving what would surely be a trial full of revelations.

"Indeed. He is most impressive, a newer side to the young man I will admit but he has displayed restraint and wisdom beyond his years to offset his apparently sudden growth" Albus commented proudly as he rolled up the last form and spelled it through the active Floo to the Ministry.

"It certainly didn't feel sudden to a 3rd party. Wandless Magic and Conjuration at 13, not even mentioning the spellwork he must have displayed tonight to ward off the attack. What are your plans for him?" Amelia cut to the chase while coyly sipping on the tea provided by one of the Hogwarts Elves. She knew that Albus always took an interest in talented students with her school years in the Dueling Club that Albus had started in the face of her own considerable talents to promote her growth coming to mind.

Albus regarded Amelia with a shrewd look. She didn't miss much. A quality that had spearheaded her meteoric rise through the ranks of the DMLE. He slipped a Lemon Drop into his mouth to avoid answering for a moment.

"Currently he is a year ahead in Runes. I had hoped to get a scope of his skills this year, as I said this side that he has brought public since the duel with Jackson is new to even me. He certainly didn't show this level of skill last year though I will admit I know very little of his time in the Chamber, just the bare details. If he performed ably I was going to offer him the chance to sit his OWLs either this summer or the end of next year depending on his performance in his classes. Now though? I will admit I am at a loss as to how to proceed to best allow his growth." Albus pondered the thought now that it had been brought up once more. Just how far ahead was the young boy? Combat Magic seemed to be his forte but Harry displayed knowledge of other topics as well. He was also emancipated and had already notched 2 very impressive accomplishments under his belt, along with a few other more minor things like the small assault on Diagon Alley.

"I suppose that opening the Dueling Club once more wouldn't be out of the question, though I feel that outside of some of the upper years Harry would be hard pressed for significant challenge amongst the student body. His emancipated status could also be abused, though I do not think any student would do so, and any injuries he might cause could bring backlash onto him through the courts if spun with the right thread." Albus tapped his chin and leaned back. Amelia, though many decades his junior, had become quite a good friend in her years in the Ministry and as an ally in the Wizengamot and Albus had always felt he could drop some of the official airs they both put on when conducting business.

"Perhaps a more unique solution then?" Amelia smirked as an idea came to her mind. Albus perked up at the tone and listened in rapt attention as Amelia detailed her idea.

***Break***

Lucius Malfoy Arrested for Assault on Hogwarts!

In what would have normally been a regular first day back to school, we are as surprised as our readers to report the day was anything but regular. Just before curfew, 10 PM, last night while out on a stroll Lord Harry Potter was the first of many to hear Werewolves howling into the night. Not just one or two, readers, but reports of as many as 50 Werewolves were on the grounds of our own Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This would usually mean that we would be reporting tragedies but in a shocking turn of events there were only 2 injuries to students. A bite of one student, name currently unknown, and a mere scratch to the cheek to one Lord Harry Potter who heroically rallied the Hogwarts Professors while fending off the attack single handedly. Lord Potter has declined a recounting of the events. Our esteemed Amelia Bones has this to say.

"When I received the first Floo call from Hogwarts I was expecting a blood bath, reports of murder, and a long night for our St. Mungo's staff. What I found upon my arrival instead was news that the Werewolves had retreated, the situation had been contained, and Lord Lucius Malfoy had been taken into custody. The DMLE is pleased to report that there were no reports of attacks to citizens of Hogsmeade, thanks to a concerted effort from the Hogwarts Staff and our own Aurors on the scene. What Lord Potter did last night was nothing short of exemplary work."

Lord Potter continues to amaze and impress us all folks. But another Lord has done the opposite. Lord Lucius Malfoy was arrested for wearing the uniform of a Death Eater and admitting, under Veritaserum, that he orchestrated the attack and brought Fenrir and his Werewolves onto the ground. A crime many would have attributed to the depravities of escaped convict Sirius Black who has evaded the summer long manhunt. Head of the DMLE Amelia Bones interrogated Lucius Malfoy herself and a trial has been called for Lucius Malfoy to answer for these crimes. Further information on Page 7 regarding the Lord Malfoy's trial date and format.

***Break***

Breakfast was much the same as the Common Room had been, if even more so from the article in the Daily Prophet. Harry was clapped on the back, thanked, and congratulated. It made him furious. Remus had a guarded look on his face and was eating his breakfast without a word to anyone. It tore Harry up inside, knowing that Remus was one of the lucky ones but one who understood all too well the struggle Werewolves had today. A First Year Gryffindor, the same one Harry had saved, was the final straw for Harry.

"Thank you, Harry! I thought for sure those monsters were going to get me!" The young boy had said. Harry stood up and his fist slammed down on the table hard enough to cause the plates to bounce.

"Enough!" Harry roared in frustration. "Stop bloody thanking me for murder!"

The Great Hall went quiet. The Gryffindors, at least those not in the Hospital Wing last night, had backed off after his words last night, but Harry knew that the rest of the school likely wouldn't follow. He took a deep breath.

"Fenrir Greyback is a monster. Preying on children. On Muggles. Get them young, he would say. Teach them hatred, fear, anger towards Wizards." Harry's words carried easily through the Hall. "Every year more legislation is passed to dehumanize his victims. Fenrir offers them false security, safety. Protection from the bad Wizards who would treat them as less than human. What you all saw last night. What you all want to celebrate and congratulate, was murder. I killed people. Men. Women. Young teens just like us. Hogwarts has been forbidden to teach how to brew the Wolfsbane Potion by legislative actions. Yet, if that Potion was readily available like it should be I would not have had to kill these people. They would not have been so scared for their life that they felt safer following Fenrir. I did what I had to to save the lives I could. Not because I feared them turning into Werewolves. But because they would have felt hated. Less than human. Because all any of you apparently see is someone who changes 1 night out of a month. A condition that is completely manageable if we had a shred of empathy."

Harry felt his anger grow even hotter when he saw Remus tearing up, and he knew he had to drive his point home. "14 Werewolves are dead and buried because of me! People! With dreams ripped away from them by the cruelty of one man! I didn't win! Fenrir still lives! He will turn more people! More children! Who here has a younger sibling? A niece or nephew, a cousin? How will you feel if they get turned next? Are you going to happily eat breakfast and cheer when they get killed because their Pack Leader presses them into a fight? You all make Fenrir's job so easy."

Harry's last words radiated across the room. And the very clear disappointment in Harry's eyes as he cast them around the room was not misunderstood. He glanced at his plate, scattered by his earlier outburst. Harry's appetite was ruined anyways. He moved from the bench and headed for the doors. The Hall doors were closed, but they slammed open when Harry flared his magic as hard as he could.

"Don't those doors open in?" Fred asked George, his voice loud in the silent Hall.

"I think they open both ways now, brother" George said in response.

Albus stood up from his seat with a proud smile. "I want you all to think about Mr. Potter's words, for they have a heavy truth in them. Werewolves are very misunderstood beings. Many Werewolves have led fruitful lives, raised families, and never harmed another person. Great would be the day when that could become the rule, and not the exception. Do not let the fear mongering methods people try to apply to those who suffer from this curse color your opinions. If the Wizarding world could come together in support of those who get bitten, rather than chasing them away with torches and pitchforks, it is likely that the curse itself could be gone within a few generations. What a wonderful event that would be."

With that the Headmaster followed Harry out of the Great Hall, idly repaired the doors as he passed by them. The students he left behind were contemplative and many of them were a bit sheepish as they had not really come to terms with the fact that Harry Potter had killed in their defense last night. Werewolves, but still people, as Harry's words reminded them.

***Break***

"A word, Harry" Dumbledore's firm voice caught up with Harry who had made it to the stairs up the 2nd Floor and prompted the young man to stop and turn. Harry regarded Dumbledore with a detached air, still a bit steamed after his rant but when it was clear that Dumbledore was not here to reprimand him his shoulders lost some of their tension.

"Of course, Professor" Harry said calmly and followed the man down a less used portion of the dungeons. There they stopped at a non-descript door and stepped inside an empy room. Harry glanced around idly and conjured a chair while Dumbledore cast a few Wards on the door.

Harry settled into the chair when Dumbledore's words and actions made him freeze for a split second. "Let's start simply shall we? Tarantellegra"

Harry cursed and rocked the chair back and rolled to a standing position as it fell.

*Fin*

A/N: Hello once more dear readers. For those who read the original Chapter 21 and 22, you'll notice a few scenes from both and the chapter remained largely unchanged with just some additions and some minor edits. I hope to earn back some of those who left after the previous Chapter 22 version, but that remains to be seen. I will also be picking back up the habit of responding to reviews from this chapter onwards if FFnet will allow.

'Til Next Time!


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